


Wedded Blade

by kittymills



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angsty Start, Bottom Shiro, Canon Divergent, Established Relationship, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Love Is All Around, Loving Marriage, M/M, MINOR Allurance, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Minor Angst, Post Season 4, Romantic Fluff, SHEITH - Freeform, Same-Sex Marriage, Sappy, Self-Indulgent, Shiro (Voltron) is a Mess, Some sexy times, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wedding dance, inter team relationships, keith - Freeform, lance makes keith suffer as his best man, lots of keith and shiro just... being in love ok, love heals everything, minor drama, minor hunk x shay, minor plance - Freeform, occasional nightmares, pure self indulgent fluff, the team is so relieved they dont have to play dumb anymore, wedding night feels, wedding prep, wedding shenganigans, what more do you want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-02-22 05:15:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 40,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13160031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittymills/pseuds/kittymills
Summary: “The second I tried to tell myself I wasn’t in love was the moment I realized I was.”―    Lang Leav, The Universe of UsShiro doesn't want to hide how he feels about Keith anymore, and frankly, the rest of the team is 100% done with pretending they don't know that Shiro and Keith are In Love™.When Shiro finally proposes to Keith, they're all beyond thrilled and want to celebrate... After all the space battles and drama, who wouldn't love a good wedding?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sheith Wedding](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/347064) by Hyteri. 
  * Inspired by [More Sheith Wedding](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/347067) by Hyteri. 
  * Inspired by [Chapter 3 Scene Art](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/347850) by Hyteri. 



> Huge thanks to Lasersheith for helping me out with this!!
> 
> This entire was only supposed to be a drabble about Shiro and Keith (inspired by the lovely lovely lovvvelly sheith wedding fanarts by Hyteri on tumblr) but then Lance and the other Paladins showed up in my head and it was all downhill from there.

_This too shall pass._

It’s a mantra that Shiro holds close to his heart.

This goes for the dark times, and even the good.  Because you never know how quickly life can change - how quickly all the things you took for granted yesterday can be gone tomorrow. 

If you’re lucky, you can grab onto the good and hold it tight. Savour it and treasure it every day.

If you’re unlucky… then it’s gone on the wings of cosmic dust and you’ll never get it back again.

\--

Shiro has been awake for almost twenty four hours straight; his body is still vibrating from the aftermath of the battle and frantic escape from Naxzela. There’s a weird throb at the back of his head that the soft pale glow from the galaxy map behind him amplifies until needles of discomfort nip at him, slicing behind his eyes and tingling his fingers.

He leans heavily over the ship’s control console and his arms tremble.  He’s drained, his heart hurts and his emotions are on overdrive trying to absorb the hurried report on the final stages of the battle and the rebels from Matt.  What Matt tells him leaves him cold but even in this hyperaware state, Shiro realises now isn’t the best time to confront Keith. 

But god, he almost lost him _._

Shiro feels like leaning over the side of the panel and vomiting. Except he can’t remember the last time he ate anything substantial (no, the castle food goo doesn’t count). The image of Matt’s face that hovers on the wide holo screen above him is apologetic and slightly uncomfortable. He’s sitting in the pilot’s seat of a shuttle, rushing through space to reach the castleship.  He wants to see with his own two eyes that his little sister is okay. 

Shiro just wants his body to stop shaking and the bile to go back down.

“I… I didn’t realise,” Shiro says.  Matt’s lips turn down.

“We were desperate. _He_ was desperate. If Lotor hadn’t shown up-“

No.  No, Shiro can’t bear the thought.

“Thank you for telling me,” Shiro finally manages to grind out.  He squeezes his eyes shut against the images that replay in his mind on an insistent loop – a lone Galra fighter hurtling for the barrier, Keith clad in his Blade suit inside it and his hands gripping the controls as death opens its arms towards him. 

It could have been a battle that destroyed Shiro’s entire world even if they had won and vanquished the Galra Empire forever.  He wonders weakly if there is another reality where Lotor was too late.  Maybe there is another Shiro somewhere mourning, falling apart, cursing himself for all the things he never had the strength to give voice to because he didn’t realise the lengths that Keith would go to ensure Voltron was victorious.

Shiro the hero, indeed. In this, he is a coward. He chokes on something that feels horribly like a sob but Matt’s voice brings him back. 

“Shiro? Shiro? Sir?”

Somehow that draws him out of the fog. He blinks and straightens himself up and then there’s a slight twist of his lips. The adrenaline leaks out, and now he’s just tired. So tired he feels like he’s lived a hundred lifetimes.  The kind of tired not even a week of sleep could fix.

“Haven’t I told you not to call me that anymore,” Shiro manages to say, forcing fake lightness into his voice.  He’s no stranger to it, this exhaustion.  It takes him a few ticks but he shoves it down hard.  He’s not convinced Matt buys it, but then they’re all a little ragged at the edges and willing to let things slide. 

Shiro eventually ends the call and stumbles back, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath.  Around the bridge, the screens are filled with the pinpoints of stars. He fills his lungs then releases it slowly, concentrating on his breathing in an attempt to collect himself.  He does his best to ignore the throb in his temples as he tries to think of the next step. 

Where can they go to now… can Lotor possibly be an ally? Or does he just want Voltron to himself? 

Is Keith going to tell him how close he came to destroying everything?

Shiro rubs his forehead and gathers himself.  Then he climbs to his feet and goes off to find the others.

\--

He finds them in the rec area, each of them slumped heavily in various poses on the curved couch. 

Hunk is snoring gently, Lance’s head lolling on his shoulder on one side and Pidge pressed into his side on the other.  Pidge looks exhausted, her glasses momentarily discarded and her eyes dark and flat.  It makes something twist inside him.  Even Lance, who shifts and sits up when Hunk sucks in a particularly loud snore and comes half awake, turning tired eyes towards Shiro then flopping his head onto his pulled up knees as he rolls sideways to give Hunk more space.

On the other side of the room, Allura is slumped in her seat, her head in her hands as Coran pats her shoulder tiredly.   

They all look so fatigued and the weariness strips all the masks away.  They’re young, too young to be shouldering this kind of responsibility.  The weight of the fucking universe on their shoulders.

Pidge should be studying, Lance terrorising girls with his bad pick-up lines and making them laugh, Hunk exploring cuisines from all over the planet in the orbit of his loving family. Allura and Coran shouldn’t be the only Alteans left in the galaxy.

And Keith, the hood of his Marmora battle suit brushing his dark hair as it lays against his shoulders. He looks up and meets Shiro’s eyes and Shiro needs to draw in a breath at what he sees there. 

He remembers the call with Matt.  What Keith had tried to do.

And abruptly- he’s angry.  Something frays inside him, something he’s been desperate to keep together since the day the shuttle launched from Earth finally goes taut and snaps.  He’s had enough.  He’s had enough of trying to contain the one thing that’s keeping him _alive_.

His emotions must have shown on his face because Keith suddenly materialises beside him.  Keith’s dark brows are furrowed and his voice is low and rough.  “Shiro?”

Shiro sucks in a deep breath and turns to face him.  Keith stares up at him with those dark indigo eyes.  Shiro can see how worn-out he is. There are dark rings under his eyes to rival the others. They’re all exhausted and they’re all hurting. 

It could have been worse, Shiro thinks as he drinks him in. Keith could be nothing but stardust right now.

Shiro battles the urge to vomit once again.

“Keith,“ his voice cracks as he tries to speak and then Keith shifts to stand in front of him.  His lean frame is positioned as though he can block Shiro from the view of the rest of the group. It’s a chance for Shiro to pull himself together before he faces the rest of the team, so they don’t see how broken he is, how much he feels that he’s failed them. Keith shifts closer. Shiro is pathetically grateful and then his heart cracks.  He’s so tired.  So tired of trying to fight it.

Without any conscious thought, he finds himself reaching for Keith, curling around him and drawing the smaller man to his chest.  It’s not a chaste hug, it’s Shiro clinging to Keith and turning his face into Keith’s dark hair to muffle a rough inhalation of breath that he refuses to believe is a sob. 

At first, Keith is stiff, taken by surprise. It’s barely a heartbeat before he melts and folds himself around Shiro’s body. Keith runs his hands up the back of Shiro’s vest soothingly and murmurs something Shiro can’t quite make out. Shiro grips him a little bit tighter and the pain in his temples flares briefly.  There’s a war of sensations rolling over his shoulders, his head.  He almost staggers but Keith is holding him rigid.

He’s not aware of how much time passes.  His eyes drift close and Allura’s voice eventually comes to him like something out of a fog.  He can hear the words but he can’t make sense of them and for a few beats, he actually starts to wonder if his translator is malfunctioning.  Keith shifts to shoulder some of his weight and he remembers he’s almost twice Keith’s size so he summons up the last vestiges of strength to straighten himself up.  The fog dissipates and Allura’s voice becomes clear.

“-exhausted to make any sense.  We should rest.”

Shiro knows she’s right.  Honestly, he should have sent them all off to rest the moment they reconnected with Coran and the castleship but his mind had already jumped too many steps ahead, already thinking about what the recent events would mean for the team, for the coalition.  The losses they suffered to achieve what they had. 

He draws in a breath and steels himself, drawing on the energy that Keith seems to be lending him, his arm heavy and slightly possessive around Shiro’s waist.  Shiro can feel Keith’s eyes trained on him but he doesn’t dare meet Keith’s gaze.  If he does, he might just fall apart.  He’s not ready to fall apart yet. Not here. Not in front of the other paladins.

There’s a light rumble at the back of his mind and it takes him a moment to recognise it as Black.  It’s muted, a little staticky (as it has been since she accepted him back) but he takes it as encouragement. 

He steps back from Keith, sucks in a deep breath and pulls his leadership mantle back on.

Even though all he really wants to do is fall apart.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Coran and Allura pushed them all to rest and Keith can see how exhausted they all are. He’s tired too, his own nerves frayed with his close call with death but there is something more than exhaustion at play with Shiro.  It makes him unsettled and nervous – reluctant to leave Shiro’s side.

They all shuffle along silently together along the ship’s corridors, each of them peeling off to go to their own separate rooms until it’s just Shiro and Keith lingering at the end.  They stand outside of Shiro’s doorway and it opens. Shiro lumbers inside, going straight to the bed and sinking down onto the mattress, his wrists braced on his knees and his head hanging low enough that the white shock of his hair obscures his face.  He hasn’t met Keith’s eye since he pulled Keith into a hug and brushed his lips over his hair earlier and Keith isn’t sure what to make of that.  He tries to find the meaning behind it, but its elusive and scatters away.

Or maybe he just doesn’t want to see it for what it was.

He hesitates by the door, unsure whether to say or go.

Black won’t let him leave, just the thought of turning to go to his own room abruptly has something like an oppressive weight pushing down on him.  He hears it in his head, Black’s rumble and he knows it’s her way of pushing them together.

“Shiro,” he says finally, stepping into the room and letting the door shut and seal behind him.  Shiro doesn’t look up but there’s a distinct wave of something that feels like approval that washes over him before flitting away and he’s alone in his own mind again.

Shiro doesn’t answer but Keith treads over to him and sits down beside him on the bed.  The mattress dips lightly and Shiro shifts to accommodate him. Keith can feel tension radiating off Shiro in waves.  He’s barely holding himself together. His eyes are even now squeezed shut, his jaw tight and Keith reaches for his hand. 

Shiro’s Galra hand. 

Keith lays it palm up and runs his fingertips over the foreign tech. Shiro shudders.

“Shiro,” he says it softly, as though worried someone else might overhear even when it’s just the two of them in this room. But they are completely alone.  Even Black has backed off her connection.

Shiro moves and then Keith is suddenly crushed against Shiro’s chest.  He can feel Shiro’s heart racing under his cheek, the tremble in his arms as they wrap around him like steel bands.  Shiro turns his face into his hair again.

There’s a part of Keith that searches aimlessly in his mind for the right words to say, for some kind of inspiring phrase or pearl of wisdom that would ease whatever it is that’s eating Shiro up inside right now but he comes up with nothing. 

Then, without any warning, Shiro pulls back but Keith refuses to let him go.  He reaches up and takes Shiro’s chin, forcing him to look back at him when he tries to face away.  There’s a dullness to Shiro’s eyes that makes Keith’s heart race anxiously.  Shiro is so close to the edge, and for the first time in a long time, Keith feels a very real fear.

What if he can’t pull him back?

What if Shiro doesn’t _want_ to be pulled back?  Keith knows that self-destructive desire all too well. Absently, he rubs his thumb over Shiro’s cheek and Shiro’s lids droop.  A little bit of the tension slides out of him.

Keith stares at Shiro’s lips, the shape of them burned into his psyche.  He remembers what they were like to kiss, the taste of them, the way they felt as they explored his body.  It’s been so long he doesn’t think they could never pick up where they left off. Too much has changed, but not how much he cares.  Without really thinking, he leans forward, brushing his lips against Shiro. It’s tentative at first and before Keith has the chance to pull back, to have his cheeks flame in embarrassment, Shiro is kissing him back hard, a hand tangled in Keith’s hair.

Keith’s heart swells in his chest and his axis that had always been a little off kilter since the report of the Kerberos mission failure, finally righted and settled.

Shiro’s eyes open and this time, they are clear.

\--

The rest of the team is seated around the table, picking half-heartedly at the meal in front of them.  Shiro takes his plate and slides into the empty seat at the head of the table beside Pidge.  They all greet him quietly, but warmly and his jaw is tight with tension. Keith takes his seat, down the other end of the table and Shiro finds himself irrationally irritated that they have to take such strides to assume a casualness between them – like they hadn’t just spent the last few hours entwined around each other.

Like they hadn’t made love to each other mere hours ago like it was the first and last time. 

He grips the fork in his hand and stares down at his plate.  It’s not until he hears Pidge say his name worriedly that he looks up.  They’re all staring at him… or more importantly, at his hand, now glowing purple and warping the shape of the fork.  He drops it in surprise and it clatters to the table, mangled and unusable. Shiro can barely lift his face. 

“Shiro,” Allura says softly, her eyes kind.  The space mice are perched on her shoulders.  “Perhaps you need more rest?”

“Yeah, that… that was pretty intense, man,” Lance says.  He looks troubled and he glances from one end of the table to the other.  “Did you guys have a fight?”

“Lance!” Pidge hisses. 

“What?” Lance demands. “Like we don’t all know-“

“Shut up, Lance!”  There’s a thunk and the plates on the table rattle as Pidge stomps on Lance’s foot.  She’s looks at Keith apologetically but he’s scowling, staring at Lance so hard Shiro half expects him to launch himself down the table at the younger paladin and throttle him.

Then again, that’s pretty much par for the course with those two.  Shiro opts not to play favourites and hurries to answer.

“Just... just still tired I guess. How long was it, anyway?”

“A couple of vargas,” Hunk answers.  He stabs at something purple on his plate, propping his chin in one hand.  “Not long enough,“ he mutters as he chews.

Shiro pushes his plate away, his appetite gone. Keith is still avoiding his eye.

\--

Its hours later and Shiro is having a difficult time concentrating on the task at hand. 

They need to meet with Lotor (they can hardly turn him away, allies scarce as they are – notwithstanding the fact he saved Keith’s life) but no one trusts the Galra prince as far as they can throw him.  They argue back and forth trying to come up with a contingency plan, or even a trap – something, _anything_ to get them a leg up on the prince.

But Shiro’s mind keeps wandering. 

Back to Zarkon, back to the arena, back to how it felt to have the man he loved back in his arms and how damn close he came to losing it.

Keith lost him not once but twice, and each time, Shiro had been too gutless to sit Keith down and tell him just how much he means to him. He tried to imagine their situations reversed, if it had been Keith in his place.

It hurt so much he would gladly take beating after beating in Zarkon’s arena without hesitation.

“There’s something I need to say,” Shiro hears himself suddenly announce.  The team turn to him curiously and he falters.  Then he’s speaking again before the idea has even taken form.

“We had a great victory today at a great cost.  We lost a lot of good allies, and we almost lost one of our own-“ he looks pointedly at Keith and he sees the way his shoulders stiffen.  “But I’m tired of the Empire and Zarkon ruling our lives,” he continues.

Shiro’s gaze travels over each of their faces where they are scattered around the castle ship’s circular couch. They’re all gazing at him expectantly now.  Well, all of them except for Keith.

He makes his way to Keith and drops to his knees. Keith startles and gives him a strange look. “Shiro, what are you doing?”

There’s a little squeak from Allura’s space mice and Shiro is aware of Allura’s lips turning upwards in a secret smile.  Beside her, Pidge and Lance share a glance, both biting their tongues with the knowledge that Something Important is about to happen. Coran and Hunk even wait expectantly, Hunk watching on intently even as he slurps loudly on a space juice popper.

Shiro’s heart is hammering in his chest as he reaches for Keith’s hand. Something that he suspects is Black’s familiar static buzzes at the back of his mind.

“Keith,” he says as he takes Keith’s hand in his own. “Being boyfriends didn’t work for us. It didn’t stick, but I need you to know that it is you that’s given me the strength to keep fighting. The thought of you kept me warm when I went to space, it kept me alive when I was taken by the Galra-“

Keith’s eyes go wide. “Shiro…”

But Shiro plods on. “I don’t want to hide it any more. I don’t want to pretend that I haven’t loved you with every fibre of my being since the moment I saw you face down in the dirt at the garrison.  We’re fighting for the universe, but we’re also fighting for us.” Shiro pauses then draws in a deep breath.  “So, what I’m asking is… Keith, will you marry me?”

The room is so quiet and still. It lasts all of three seconds before Allura clasps her hands to her chest and squeals. 

“A wedding!” Her eyes are shining and beside her, Coran grins and twists his moustache in contemplation, one hand held behind his back. 

“I’m quite good at planning weddings,” he says as he rocks back on his heels. “We had a lot here at the castle back in King Alfor’s day-”

“Easy, Coran,” Shiro cuts him off ruefully. Shiro’s eyes flick towards Keith and then down at Keith’s palm, pale skin against the harsh tech of his Galra hand.  For the briefest moment, he feels a little unsure.  “He hasn’t said yes yet.”

“Oh, yes… right you are.  Well, ah, carry on then.”

Shiro lifts his eyes to Keith.  His eyes are wide and his mouth hangs open.

“Uh oh,” Hunk leans over to Pidge.  “Shiro broke him.”

“Shhh!” Pidge hisses, leaning forward in anticipation of Keith’s response. Lance finally scoffs a heartbeat later, waving his hand about in dismissal.

“Of course, he’s going to say yes.  No brainer.”

Hunk opens his mouth to respond but they dissolve into bickering.  All the while, Shiro’s eyes don’t leave Keith’s face and his grip on Keith’s hand never falters.

“I’ve been ready to die so many times, but now I have to live,” Keith finally says.

Shiro cocks his head. His heart is beating so loud, he’s sure the entire room can hear it. “So, is that a yes?”

Keith stares him down and Shiro starts to sweat.  Has he misjudged this?  Really? Keith was ready to throw himself into the barrier to save them, to save Voltron, but maybe that didn’t mean what Shiro thought it did. Maybe all those lingering touches and whispered confessions in the dark meant something else - He’s about to open his mouth to salvage his pride when Keith finally speaks.

“I’m all in,” he says and his voice cracks slightly with emotion.  Shiro thinks he might die from the relief.

“HA! I won!” Lance shouts, pumping a fist into the air then freezes.  “Wait, was that a yes? That was a yes, right?” Lance glares at Keith.

“Yes,” Keith says firmly and then Shiro is choking out a harsh bark of relief and pulling him close.  There’s exclamations of joy and excited chatter all around them.  Glancing over Shiro’s shoulder, Keith sees Lance do some kind of victory dance that involves a lot of flailing arms and jerky step movements.  It’s ridiculous, Lance is ridiculous but they’re all smiling and laughing and Shiro feels lighter than he has in years.

“Told you!” Lance chortles. “Pay up Hunkie boy.”

“Aw, man,” Hunk mutters, but he’s smiling.

Shiro ignores them all, wrapping his arms around Keith and smiling against Keith’s hair. “Thank god,” he murmurs low that only Keith can hear him. His heart is still racing.  “You had me worried there.”

Keith makes a sound that seems suspiciously like a snort.  “As if there was any doubt.”

Shiro hugs him tighter… and he feels his heart start to heal.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE IS ART FOR THIS CHAPTER!!!! Omg, Hyteri is so amazing to do this - you should definitely check it out here: http://hyteriart.tumblr.com/post/169082033321/flashedarrow-has-recently-started-posting

The distraction of planning a wedding turns out to be an excellent morale booster.  For a tiny slice in time, they stop thinking about the battles, the fight with Zarkon, the nervous peace with Lotor and the Empire still lurking on the other side of space. 

It’s a few hours later and they’re seated around the table on Hunk’s insistence for a celebratory dinner.  Keith thinks it’s really just an excuse for Hunk to show off his absurdly good skills in the kitchen but it seems to make everyone really happy so he just goes with it.  It’s almost a little jarring to see this team of people smiling and joking so much.  After the last few months (or was it years? Hard to keep track the way they wormhole around so much in space), they had done what they could to hold onto their humour, but it was always a touch strained , the laughter a little forced, the jokes too ridiculous. 

But tonight is different and Keith can’t help his buoyed mood as the wedding planning goes into overdrive - even if he is feeling vaguely panicked at the thought of the fuss being made about them.  Coran even made noises about a galaxy wide broadcast but Shiro was quick to nip that in the bud. 

Thank god.

Shiro’s hand finds his and squeezes it under the table.  He leans his head close and Shiro’s lips curve apologetically. His voice is low and a little husky and it sends a tendril of warmth right down to Keith’s toes.  “I guess misjudged how excited everyone would be by this. I hope you’re okay with all this attention.”

Keith squeezes back, tracing Shiro’s mouth with his eyes and thinking about how well they fit against his own. His heart thumps blissfully in his chest.  The sensation is almost foreign to him it’s been so long since he’s felt it.  

“It’s okay,” he responds. “I guess we’re all due for a bit of R & R.”

Shiro smiles softly and they turn back to the conversation around the table. Keith is content to let it flow around them.  Shiro’s thumb absently rubs the back of his hand as they listen to the plan unfolding. It feels a little strange to him, the way that the entire team has closed ranks around Shiro and himself, sharing in their promise to each other. For so long it was just Keith, then there was Shiro but now there is so much more.  It makes him almost antsy, not sure if he should embrace it and open himself up, or pushing it away so he doesn’t know what he might one day lose and can’t mourn.

But then they all look at Keith with such love and affection that he feels himself glowing with an inner warmth.  Was this what it was like to be part of a family? To be so accepted? He looks up at Shiro, watching as Shiro smiles and chuckles at Lance and Coran arguing over the best location for a honeymoon before Coran finally pauses and rubs his chin thoughtfully. “What IS a honeymoon anyway?” The others all groan and Allura is smiling so wide it’s literally lighting up the room. 

And Keith can feel it.  He can feel it so deep inside of him he realises he never wants to let this go. Shiro, this little family they’ve fallen into together. Voltron. The lions… The glow suddenly amplifies and everyone pauses in surprise and looks at each other. It swirls around them, over them, _through_ them then bobs away, a faint echo of purring in their ears.  Even Coran’s eyes are wide like saucers.

“Did you feel that?” he says in wonder. The space mice scamper across the table and straight to Allura’s shoulder with happy little chirps. “I felt that. Did you feel that?”

They all nod and Hunk sniffs and dramatically wipes a tear from his eye.  “Even the lions are ready for a party.”

There’s laughter around the table and the room is warm.  They’re all smiling, and Keith’s eyes suddenly prick behind his lids.  He has to suck in a deep breath and turn his face away before he embarrasses himself completely - it’s nearly too much.  The bubble of emotion inside him wants to erupt and he almost feels like he’s drowning. He doesn’t know how to process it.  It feels all like a dream and there’s a heartbeat where he actually wonders if maybe he made it to the barrier and this is just his own private version of heaven. Which it is. 

He finally grips Shiro’s hand tight enough that Shiro glances down at him, his gaze softening as he pulls Keith hard against him.  Keith buries his face in Shiro’s shoulder and his breath hitches. A few moments pass where he tries to gather himself then he feels a tap on his shoulder.  Keith eventually looks up and Pidge is sitting in the chair beside him, leaning in with her trademark grin.  Her big amber eyes are sparkling.

“Guess you’re not the loner anymore, huh?”

Keith tries to answer but his voice is too thick, his eyes too blurry even as he tries to blink the moisture away.  He’s spared having to keep trying by Pidge throwing herself against him.  She hugs him and Shiro together and it tells him more than anything else could ever say.

\--

It’s been a few hours since dinner and aside from Keith and Shiro (who have disappeared off somewhere Pidge really doesn’t want to think too hard about) everyone is a little bit too hyped up to sleep. The chance to focus on something other than their epic battle for the universe is too good to resist and now that they settle on a date of in two quintants time, there is so much to do in not much time. 

The space mice scurry over Pidge, all vying for the best position for pats and sneaky treats as Pidge perches on the edge of Allura’s bed.  Pidge tries not to notice how the sheets feel smoother and the mattress feels softer (Allura IS a princess after all) or how Allura’s is the only room that seems to have carpet.  Pidge is probably a bit jealous about that the most of all.  She’s always fumbling for her green lion slippers in the dark and losing them.  Her feet on the cold metal floors of her quarters in the middle of the night is _the worst_.

She scratches the biggest space mouse under the chin as she watches Allura rummage around in her wardrobe.  She’s still tired from the battle at Naxzela but sleep just isn’t something that she’s interested in right now.  It’s not so inviting when every time she closes her eyes she can see explosions and feel the heavy g forces pushing on her chest.  Besides, she wants to be awake when her brother arrives, which thanks to a damaged shuttle, means he’s still limping his way through space to them.

She slips another treat to the mice as Allura’s door slides open and Coran slides dramatically across the room. His eyes are luminous with excitement.

“Can’t you just see it?” he announces brightly.  He spreads his hands and looks up to what Pidge assumes is supposed to be the heavens.  “It will be a love story for the ages! The public will lap it up!”

Allura frowns. “Coran, I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with using Shiro and Keith’s wedding as a political event.  This is about them, about their love for each other against all odds.”

“Yes, but princess, but it’s also another potential way to strengthen the collation and celebrate us moving forward. Back in your fathers day, we always celebrated weddings with our allies.  I’m sure Shiro will be happy to do anything that will strengthen our alliances-”

“It’s not Shiro I am concerned about,” Allura says dryly.  Pidge watches as Allura frowns at the dress in her hands and shoves it to the side before pulling out another one.  The slight cloud of dust that puffs up makes the princess sneeze delicately.  She wrinkles her nose before she continues. “Keith might have an entirely different opinion on the matter.”

“Well, I suppose it can’t hurt to ask!” Coran twirls once then bows out of the room with a flourish. He’s come and gone in an instant and Pidge hopes there’s not going to be another repeat of what happened when Coran tried to let some space worm control his brain.

Pidge sneaks the space mice another treat and Allura turns to her with one hand propped on her hip and an eyebrow raised. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Ah….”  Pidge has the grace to look slightly guilty before she slips the treats back into her pocket and sighs.  The space mice realise no more treats are forthcoming and abandon the green paladin to hurry along the bed and settle themselves into one of Allura’s lush pillows. Pidge sags a little.

“Are you all right, Pidge?” Allura asks kindly.  “You seem… sad?”

“I’m okay… well, sort of.  I mean. Argh, it’s so stupid!”  Pidge flops back onto Allura’s bed dramatically and covers her eyes with her arms.

Allura shoves the dress she was holding back into a draw and approaches Pidge. She sits primly on the bed beside her. 

“Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you.”

There’s a pause, then Pidge sits up.  “Well,” she says. “It’s just that… back home, weddings are a time to… you know, get dressed up.  Only I didn’t bring any dresses with me.  I only have these,” she gestures to her current clothes, “-and my paladin armour. I suppose I could just wear my paladin armour and that would be fine too because hey, remember the last time we hard a party on the ship? Lance almost died? So form and function and all that would be smart but… It would just be nice to have an option, that’s all.”

Allura taps her chin.  “Hmm, I see. Well, I do have plenty of dresses here in the castle. Granted they are 10, 000 years out of date but I’m sure we can find you something if that’s what you want.”

Pidge eyes Allura sceptically.  “I can’t wear your clothes, I’d drown in them!”

“No, silly, we’ll alter them.  Didn’t Coran tell you about his days as an intergalactic fashion pirate? I remember as a child he had a bogwaggle cape that used to sing whenever he came into a room.  It was simply delightful!”  She pauses for a moment. “Although, now that I think about it, I’m not sure my father thought so.”

Pidge looks sideways at Allura. “Yeah, he told me about that. It.. um… Doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.”

Allura laughs lightly.  “Well, how about we try and if you don’t like it, you can always wear your paladin armour?”

Pidge chews her lip in indecision then shrugs.  “Sure. Why not?”

\--

There’s usually only two places Shiro is guaranteed to find Keith and he heads to the first now that he’s finally able to move again after the absolute feast Hunk presented them with.  He can already hear the clashing on the other side of the door and Keith’s grunts as he trains.  He’s panting heavily, his bayard in one hand and his Marmora blade in the other as Shiro opens the door.  The gladiator powers down.

“Hey,” Shiro greets him as he steps through.  “Thought I would find you here.”

Keith straightens then shakes out his damp hair. He’s sweaty from the sparring, his dark shirt damp and plastered to his lean muscles and Shiro finds himself eyeing him appreciatively.  It’s impressive the way Keith is able to regain his breath so quickly then deactivates his bayard to trot past the still mech and straight to Shiro’s side.

“Needed to get away for a bit,” he shrugs apologetically.

“And hit things?” Shiro questions, one eyebrow raised.

“Would you prefer me to hit Lance instead?”

Shiro can’t help but laugh at that. Keith grins at him then leans up to give Shiro a quick peck to the lips.

God, he loves that. That casual, comfortable show of affection from Keith.  No more hiding, no more pretences.  It smooths over the cracks in his heart and fills them with something warm instead of the ache that has been there for so long. He closes his eyes and reaches out in anticipation of deepening the kiss but Keith has already pulled away. Shiro is tempted to grab him haul him back but he knows there’s time enough for that later.

“It’s all happening pretty quickly,” Shiro says instead.  He watches Keith as he collects his jacket from the floor then comes back to Shiro’s orbit from under hooded brows. “Are… are you okay with that?”

Keith looks genuinely confused.  “Are you asking me if we’re moving too fast? Me? The hothead?” Keith scratches his head and Shiro finds himself chuckling. 

“Okay, point taken.”

“I’m not holding back anymore,” Keith says quietly then, his tone turning serious. He stands in front of Shiro with his head bowed. “We’ve lost enough time.  I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future but this… now… you and me –“

Keith’s voice cracks with emotion. It seems to be doing that a lot lately. Shiro grasps his hand and twines their fingers together but Keith slips out of his reach again.

“Hey, where are you going?” Shiro complains.

“Shower,” Keith smirks at him from over his shoulder, the invitation clear in his eyes. “Coming?”

Shiro doesn’t need to be told twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.. I was going to keep the smuts out of this fic but... now I'm not so sure. Yell at me in the comments or on tumblr (flashedarrow) if you think I should?? because I can't decide if I should keep this PG or no, lol


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo... I had planned to go in a totally different direction to this but then Lance showed up in my head and took control and well... Let's just say I'm not sure I'm as funny as I think I am but I was cackling out loud as I was writing this so I hope you guys enjoy it too!

It’s the ache in his head that wakes Shiro.  He blinks and it takes a moment for his vision to clear, a few heartbeats to bring the room into focus.

Beside him, Keith’s dark mop of hair is spread over his pillow like a thundercloud, the sheets low on his hips as he slumbers on his side with his hands tucked under one cheek.  Shiro can see the angry scar from the trials of Marmora on his shoulder, healing well but still standing out in dark relief against his pale skin.  Shiro’s about to roll over and slide a hand over Keith’s bare stomach when there’s a quiet two-toned beep and the light on the panel by the door blinks orange. 

He glances once more at Keith’s sleeping form before slipping regretfully from the bed.  He pulls on his clothes and pads over to the door. 

On the other side, Matt is waiting with bright eyes and a wide smile.  

“Hey man, Katie just told me – congratulations!”

Shiro takes Matt’s outstretched hand and they shake. 

“Thank you,” he says.  “It’s something I should have done a long time ago.”

Matt’s smile slips and something like sorrow comes into his eyes.  “Come on, Shiro.  You did what you thought was best at the time.  You couldn’t expect things to unfold like they have.  Not one of us could have predicted we would get taken by a hostile race of big purple furry aliens when we lifted off from Earth.”

“No, I suppose not,” Shiro says, folding his arms and leaning against the now closed door. “When did you get in?”

Matt shrugs.  “A few vargas ago. Would have made Pidge come get us in the green lion if I knew there was a party to plan.”    

Shiro laughs at that.  “It will be good to have you there. Allura said she’s trying to reach a few others too.  I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea considering the losses we’ve had to endure to achieve what we did but-“ he trails off.  His head starts to throb again and his thoughts seem a little fuzzy.  He figures he just needs some of that Altean equivalent of coffee to kick start things.

“You okay, Shiro?” Matt asks after a slight pause.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.  Just woke up.  Come on, lets go see what’s happening on the bridge.”

\--

It’s seriously impressive how quickly the team manages to pull what they need together for an Earth style wedding.  Shiro gave Allura as much information as he could, trying to remember back to a Shinto wedding he attended as a child with his Grandpa.  He must have been only five or six or so at the time and it was one of his much older cousins. He vividly remembered thinking how serene she looked in her white and red kimono as she looked up at the face of her new husband.  Even as a small child, Shiro had seen what love was, and he had hoped he would have it for himself one day. 

And now he did.

He smiles to himself at the thought, just the knowledge that there was no more hiding or holding back enough to change everything.  He steadfastly refuses to let his mind wander too far into the future.  There would be time enough for that later. Now is all that matters.

They’re standing on the bridge when Allura broaches the subject of Keith and any special family traditions he might choose to incorporate but Keith just shrugs.  He has none, at least not from his human side. 

“Perhaps there’s a Galra tradition worth including?” Allura manages to say.  Her voice is a little strangled and Shiro can see the effort it takes her to say it. 

Keith thinks about it for a moment but then shakes his head.  “No,” he says.  “I don’t need that. I just want to do whatever Shiro wants to do.”

Allura tries to hide her relief… and fails but they all pretend they don’t notice.  There’s more discussions, more ideas thrown backwards and forth.  Matt is hovering over Pidge’s shoulder talking to some of the other rebel leaders and Hunk is talking to himself and making notes, mumbling as he taps his chin and flicks through holos before suddenly jumping up and grabbing Coran, herding him out the door with a wave at the others.

Shiro isn’t sure what to make of that but he’s long since realised that he and Keith are merely passengers on this particular ride, and he’s okay with that.  It actually feels good to let go. 

“So, I’m going to talk to Lance,” Keith says after a moment. Shiro glances down at him in surprise.  The blue glow from the bridge lights reflect on his dark hair and in his eyes.  Shiro thinks he’s beautiful.

“Everything okay?” he asks quietly.

“Yeah… I just- Something I gotta do. Wish me luck, okay.” 

Shiro looks amused then.  “Ah, good luck?”

Keith disappears with a grin over his shoulder.

\--

It’s not long after and Keith is standing outside of Lance’s door, his hand raised to knock even as he sends a prayer up to the heavens that what he’s about to do isn’t going to come back to bite him on the ass later. 

He sucks in a deep breath and mutters some obscenity to himself just as he raps on the door with his knuckles.

There’s a loud crash from the other side, a yelp and then the door slides open and Lance is blinking at him, eyes bleary and his clothes dishevelled. Keith narrows his gaze.

“What are you doing in there? No. No, wait on second thoughts I don’t want to know.”

Lance rubs his face, then his hair.  It sticks out at odd angles despite its short length.  “What do you want, Mullet? This better not be about Red, it wasn’t my fault, I swear she jumped into that asteroid belt all by herself-”

“No, I’m not here about that, you can relax.”

Lance pauses then manages to pull himself up a bit taller.  He takes a step back and ushers Keith inside.  His room is a mess but somehow that doesn’t surprise Keith in the least.  He glances around quickly, wondering if there is a spare surface to sit but quickly dismisses the idea when he sees none.  He decides to do this quickly. 

A bit like ripping off a band aid.

He watches as Lance shuffles over to his bed, his fuzzy blue lion slippers making a scraping noise along the floor.  He doesn’t sit though, he just turns around to face Keith, one eyebrow lifted expectantly. Keith clears his throat.

“So, ah…  I’m going to need a best man since… ah… since I’m getting married.”

He feels like he’s about to choke on his own tongue.  It’s the first time he’s said it out loud and it almost makes him dizzy. Is this really happening? Is Shiro really going to marry him? He’s not dreaming all this, is he? 

 _Marriage._   Holy shit.

He somehow manages to resist the urge to panic. Not that he doesn’t want to commit to Shiro, he’s never wanted anything more.  In fact, he’s wanted it since the day Shiro first kissed him all those years ago, before Kerberos, before Voltron and the Galra.  It’s just that he would just rather… skip the formalities and settle straight into being one half of a whole.

But the team is too excited about making it an Event and even though Shiro hasn’t said as much, Keith knows in his gut how much it would mean to Shiro too.  He could be traditional like that in some ways.

He’s not sure how many ticks pass before he realises Lance is staring at him. 

“Yeah…?” Lance says expectantly, as though it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Lance looks at Keith as though he’s concerned Keith’s had too many knocks to the head.  His mind wanders back to the Voltron cheer then Keith makes an exasperated noise at the back of his throat. He reminds himself he needs Lance for this so he sucks in a deep breath.

_Patience yields focus._

He rubs the back of his neck then sighs. He’s resigned.  There’s no way he’s going to come out of this moment with his pride intact.  He struggles with the urge to squirm.

“So… do you want the job?”

Lance pauses for a heartbeat then his eyes narrow.  Oh no, Keith doesn’t like the look of that.  Lance straightens up and in that instant, Keith knows Lance is going to make him work for this and he’s tastes the bitter tang of regret on this tongue.

“I want to hear you say it,” Lance announces. He folds his arms across his chest and lifts his chin. He’s not being smug about it, just… determined. Keith groans.

“Lance-“

“Uh, nuh nuh nuh, you want the goods, you gotta pay the price.”

Keith glares at him then.  Really? They’re really doing this?  He grits his teeth.  “Fine!” he snaps.

There’s a few ticks of pregnant silence. Lance eventually taps his wrist with one finger. “Tick tock!”

Keith can’t help the growl that comes with the words.  “Will. You. Be. My. Best. Man?”

Lance looks at him and taps his chin.  He makes Keith sweat. Actually has the nerve to make him wait for an answer and Keith is incensed.  He can feel the blood staring to boil in his veins and a roaring in his ears as his temper flares.  He’s about to give up on the whole thing and storm out of the room when Lance finally speaks.

“Best man, you say?” he says, tapping his chin. “Well yes, since I _am_ the best man after all… Don’t worry, buddy, I’ve got your back.”

Keith can’t help but feel mildly alarmed by that. 

Somewhere in her hanger, Red purrs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls comment if you're enjoying it or feel free to come yell at me on tumblr (flashedarrow) :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly shorter chapter tonight because it hurt writing this one. Also, I had to take a little bit of creative license with this sooo... just shut up and trust me ;)

The call from Kolivan comes through on Keith’s private communicator.  It’s unusual that Kolivan would bypass the bridge and go direct to Keith and his stomach drops at the thought of what it could mean.  He manages to extricate himself from Lance and goes to his room to take it. 

He flips it on and Kolivan’s face fills the holoscreen.

“Keith, I must caution you against this.”

There’s no felicitations, no greeting, nothing of any kind to that effect.  Instead, the Galra rebel fighter just stares down the lens, his jaw tight. Tighter than normal, if that were possible.  Keith sucks in a deep breath.

“Caution against what exactly?” Keith stares defiantly back.

“It is one thing to gather all our allies and fighters in one place for a well-planned attack, quite another to do it for a mere bonding ceremony.”

Bonding ceremony? Is that what the Galra call it? Keith frowns as Kolivan continues.  “Half of the coalitions leaders could be wiped out in one fell swoop!”

“We’ve moved the castle into a secure quadrant.  Zarkon won’t know. And even if they did, there wouldn’t be enough time to move their fleets into a position to mount an attack.”

“Lotor is still out there. He may have aided us against Zarkon’s witch but we can NOT trust him. And this bond…” Kolivan’s eyes narrow further.  “Do you plan to continue your work with the blade?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Your bond will compromise you.”

“It won’t,” Keith insists. “Shiro understands that. Whatever needs to be done-“ his mind flashes back to the barrier attack, “-then it will be. This changes nothing.”

Kolivan hisses.  “It changes everything. A blade and a paladin of Voltron? _It can not happen!”_

“I’m not listening to this, you’re not going to change my mind.”

Keith cuts the connection before anymore can be said and sags back onto the bed.  His heart is racing at the confrontation, a little in anger, a little in fear that Kolivan might well be right.  He shudders and curls in on himself, tries to convince himself that his marriage to Shiro won’t change anything.

But if the Blade won’t accept him back, then were would he go? There aren’t enough lions to go around and he even though he misses Red, he can’t take her from Lance.  And Black belongs with Shiro.

Maybe he could team up with Matt, join the rebels. Voltron and the castleship will always be the closest thing to a home, but he needs to be able to play his part too.

He’s bitter. Can’t they just have this?  After everything they’ve given up, everything they’ve had to endure - Shiro especially – can’t they have this one thing.  It’s childish to cry over – the universe certainly doesn’t do them any favours but…

God, he wants this. He _wants_ to marry Shiro. And Keith never lets himself want anything.

\--

In another part of the ship, Coran is standing in front of the row of paladin armour, tapping his foot and twisting his moustache in contemplation.  He glances from the armour to the dark mass of material on the floor in front of him.  One pile is blood red, the other the darkest hues of midnight. 

One of the space mice squeak and he looks down at them where they hover around his feet.  One of them jumps into a pile of what looks to be feathers and a small cloud rises up to colour the air.

“Yes,” he says he says to himself. Or maybe to them. He’s not quite sure. “Yes, that could work beautifully. Oh, Coran, I always knew our talents as an intergalactic fashion pirate would one day come into play.  Today is that day!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! *hic*

Matt is trying his best to keep his cool but every time the Princess looks over at him with those vibrant blue eyes the colours of the ocean waves back home on Earth, he loses his train of thought and ends up just staring at her with his mouth half hanging open.

If Shiro wasn’t feeling so loved up and indulgent himself, he would probably have been more annoyed by it. Allura, to her credit, acts as though nothing unusual is happening. She is used to dealing with Lance after all, Shiro supposes.

“The response to our invitations has been hugely positive for the most part,” she says with a bright smile. Then her smile falters and she looks down at her hands to avoid his gaze. She pauses, as though trying to find the right words to say what comes next.

“For the most part?” Shiro questions.  His stomach sinks a little.

“Yes,” she nods and the waves of silver hair bounces against her back as she turns to the holographic display. “All our allies have responded and will send a representative to attend the celebrations… all but one.”

Shiro has a feeling he knows what she’s about to say. He crosses his arms. “No response from the Blade of Marmora then?”

Allura’s face softens in sympathy. If it’s possible, Matt looks even more lovestruck.

Shiro briefly considers throwing him out an airlock. 

“I’m afraid not,” the princess says.

Truth be told, Shiro isn’t surprised.  The Blade of Marmora have always been brutal in their ways, with no room for sentiment or sympathy.  He’s disappointed on Keith’s behalf, knowing instinctively that the Blade had become important to Keith, he’s spent months with them after all. Maybe he even thinks of them a little bit as family too? Shiro suspects it’s too much to hope that Kolivan would be supportive of their union especially considering their code putting of individuals last.  Not like a wedding exactly advances their objectives against the empire.

Shiro sighs and rubs his temple.  He can already picture the disappointment in Keith’s eyes. “Okay, but let me be the one to tell him.”

Allura gives him a small nod. She ignores Matt who’s suddenly sidled closer to her.  “Of course.”

\-- 

Keith’s lips twist into a small smile in spite of himself as he enters Red’s hangar.  She’s big and beautiful, rearing up regally before him. When he gets closer she shifts and opens and Keith finds himself climbing her stairs like he had done so many times before and wandering into her cockpit.  That she did it without prompting in itself was surprising, but he also gets the sense this moment is special and not likely to be repeated so he opts not to question it. 

The cockpit looks the same as always, but it doesn’t feel quite right to sit in what’s now Lance’s seat so he takes up a spot on the floor, drawing up his knees and resting his head back against Red’s cool panels.  

The call with Kolivan has left a bad taste in Keith’s mouth and for the first time, he feels a niggling doubt start to take root in the back of his mind and he feels alone.  Maybe it was stupid to think he could carve out this small piece of happiness for himself, or for Shiro.  Shiro has already endured so much, so much that sometimes Keith wonders how he is barely standing, especially after those nights Shiro wakes shuddering and crying out and flailing so hard it takes all of Keith’s strength to curl around him and calm him until he’s panting into his pillow, a pillow that’s damp with silent tears. 

He rests his chin on his knees as he stares at a point in the opposite wall and replays the conversation in his mind.  Ugly thoughts start to nip at him and then real fear slithers down his spine. 

His stomach feels like lead.

\--

Lance feels the brush over his consciousness that is Red and sits up with a frown.  Sometimes it’s tricky to know what she wants, it’s never explicit, just waves of feeling over the bond and sometimes broken images flashing up behind his eyes. 

She sends one now, of Keith trailing his hand over one of her giant metal paws and at first Lance is incensed but then the wave of turmoil that follows it makes him bolt from his bedroom and down to her hangar without a second thought.

He sees her positioned with her jaw open and he approaches quietly, slipping into Red’s cockpit to find Keith already there.  He glances around once, as though making sure everything is all as it should be then slides to the floor opposite Keith.

“Hey,” he says after a moment.

“Hey,” Keith replies.  His voice is flat and he doesn’t meet Lance’s eyes. Lance feels confused.

“Um… is everything okay? Red… Red seems worried.”

Keith snorts and gives a little roll of his eyes.  One of his hands unfurls to rap his knuckles against Red’s floor. “Traitor,” he mutters. 

A few moments of awkward silence pass then the buzz in the back of Lance’s head intensifies. He groans dramatically. 

“Okay, okay, Red, back off, jeez.”

Keith still won’t look at him. Even without Red in his head, he can sense something is amiss.  He sighs and tries again.

“So, what happened, man? You’re not the same Keith who was grinning like a love sick idiot this morning-“

“You mean like you every time you look at Allura?”

“Well, if anyone knows what that looks like, it’d be me,” he quips back without missing a beat.

Keith snorts derisively.  The sound is harsh and a little bit nastier than it needed to be.  Lance knows Keith well enough now to know when he’s striking out and trying to push people away.  It’s one of those times now.

“Do you really spend that much time ogling yourself in the mirror?” Keith mutters.

Lance frowns then. Just because he recognises what Keith’s trying to do doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to put up with it. Sometimes the dumb little games get tiring.

“Look, Shiro might get off on your Mr-doesn’t-wanna-talk-about-my-feelings…” he gestures at Keith. “- thing and clearly you’re trying to do your loner thing again but… Well, Red isn’t going to let me leave until we hash whatever this is out so...“

He pauses and waits expectantly.  Keith is still sitting in the same position, shoulders tight, jaw rigid with tension.  His dark hair hides his eyes and he’s flicking one thumbnail with his forefinger absently. Everything about his posture screams that he wants to be left alone, like a cornered and threatened animal. Lance would be happy to just leave him to his own devices but Red… Red won’t let him.

Not for the first time, he pushes down the teeniest tiniest flare of jealousy.  Does Red prefer Keith? She’s always been incredibly protective of him. Heck, she _literally_ flew half way across the galaxy to save him that time. Maybe she wants him back as her paladin and-

“Ow, damnit, Red!”  Keith rubs his temple. That makes Lance smirk.

“Yeah, she’s mad at you.”

Keith drops his hand and glares at Lance. “It’s a giant metal space cat… not a housecat.”

Lance wrinkles his nose.  “Hey, I had a cat when I was a kid. He couldn’t fire lasers or fly through space but he always knew when I was upset. He would always curl up on my lap and purr until I calmed down.” Lance hesitates, a pang of overwhelming sadness washing over him. He’ll probably never see that cat again. “I miss him.”

Keith doesn’t respond, but his posture uncurls slightly.  He’s not so closed off, his head leans back and even though his eyes are closed, Lance can see he’s not so tense. Lance props his chin in his hand and taps his knee as he waits.  Keith is a bit like a house cat, he thinks to himself.  Pick him up or get too close without an explicit invitation and he would hiss and spit and struggle to be put down, but if you waited, if you were patient… then he would come to you on his own accord, curl up on your lap and not let you move for hours.

Shiro must really like cats.

It’s a few more boring moments when Keith finally sighs. “Kolivan thinks it’s a mistake.”

Heeeyyy, now we’re getting somewhere.  Lance silently congratulates himself on waiting Keith out. He thinks he hears a purr but he’s not sure. Maybe if this paladin, defender of the universe gig doesn’t work out, he could totally be a councillor or-

Wait, what.

“Kolivan? You mean… the wedding?”

“He called it a bonding ceremony, but yeah.  He… says we’re putting everyone in danger-“

“Pfffftttt, forget that guy,” Lance scoffs dismissively. “There’s nothing in this entire universe that’s going to get in the way of this wedding tomorrow.”

“What if he’s right? What if it does put everyone in danger? Shiro… the team?”

Keith’s voice goes small, quiet.  Lance doesn’t like it. He shakes his head.  “These are the guys that nearly killed you to make you find out something you already knew.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The thing with the trials. You knew you were Galra before we got to the base right? Or at least suspected?  That’s why you were so pissy about it at the time.”

Keith looks over at him in surprise.  Lance feels briefly annoyed and pulls a face.  “I notice things,” he mutters indignantly.  “I’m not always the goofball.”

“No, you’re right.  I… I did suspect something.”

“Look, all I’m saying is that the Blade of Marmora aren’t bad guys, we wouldn’t be where we are without them, but…” Lance shrugs.  “Everything can’t always be about Zarkon.  Hunk was right about that.  If you’re really this worried,” he climbs to his feet. “You should talk to Shiro. You know… your _fiancé_.”

Lance hesitates briefly, not expecting Keith to answer but waiting to see if Red had any other less than subtle instructions for him but she is silent.  He heads away, leaving Keith to his own devices.  He really hopes there will be a wedding. 

He’s already shined up his armour and everything.

\--

Keith hates to admit it but… Lance is right.

He drags himself away from Red, one more caress in farewell over her smooth, cool surface before heading off to find Shiro.  He doesn’t have to look far, Shiro meets him in the corridors leading away from the hangars.  Keith doesn’t say anything, he just throws himself against Shiro and grabs a fist full of his vest, yanking him down and planting a hard, messy kiss on Shiro’s mouth.  He has no doubt that Shiro will be able to taste his turmoil but Shiro doesn’t break the kiss, instead slipping his hands under Keith’s thighs and hoisting him up.  Keith wraps his legs around Shiro’s waist and deepens their contact.

Shiro’s hands roam over his back, sliding up under his jacket and finding the space where his shirt is loose against his pants.  He changes the angle of the kiss and then his hands are on Keith’s skin, hot and possessive as though he knows it’s exactly what Keith needs right now. Shiro is his anchor, his safe harbor in the storm and his heart that was thrumming so violently earlier settles into a smoother rhythm and with that, the kiss turns gentle and slow until they finally come apart for air and Shiro nuzzles his temple.

“I was looking for you,” Shiro says quietly.  Keith is still curled around him tightly but Shiro holds him with ease.

“I was looking for you too,” Keith answers.  He presses one more lingering kiss to Shiro’s lips then regretfully loosens his grip and slides down Shiro’s body until he’s standing once again. 

“The blades aren’t coming,” he states simply.  Now that he’s with Shiro, the conversation with Kolivan seems a long way away, like a bad dream just hovering around his consciousness and making his skin crawl with unease.  His worries and niggling fears eventually fade under the caress of Shiro’s hands.

“I guessed,” Shiro replies. His voice is husky and Keith catches the faint tone of desire under it.  “Do you want to talk about it?”

Keith hesitates for a moment.  Kolivan did bring up an important point regarding the possibility of an attack.  Already a third of the rebel forces had been decimated during the last battle and it would be the height of stupidity to ignore it.  He sets his jaw determinedly.

“I think we need to talk to Allura and Coran.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before the Big Event and plans are starting to be set in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apparently, I’m incapable of writing a chapter that hasn’t got at least one bit sickeningly indulgent snippet of sheith smoocharoonies in it. also apologies for any booboos in this chapter, booze helped me write it. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Rehashing the conversation with Kolivan yet again (this time with Allura and Shiro) sets Keith on edge enough that his jaw starts to ache from grinding his teeth.  It gets worse with what Allura says next.

“As much as I hate to admit it but after hearing your conversation with Kolivan… I’m afraid he may be right.”

“About which part?” Keith mutters angrily. 

Allura flushes under the force of his temper but Shiro’s softly reprimanded _Keith_ has him instantly deflating and biting his lip. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly. He runs a gloved hand through his hair and sucks in a deep breath, counts to five in his head, then releases it slowly.

Allura flashes him a small forgiving smile. It’s probably more than he deserves.  Everyone is working so hard to pull this all together and he’s lashing out because he can’t seem to hold down the increasing pit of dread growing in his gut.  “I understand, Keith. This is hardly the polite way to respond to a wedding invitation.  Very rude of them.”

It takes him a few beats to realise that Allura’s trying to lighten the mood.  Her comment reminds him strangely of Shiro, grasping his side to stop the bleeding from Haggar’s wound and joking about impending doom. They both need to work on their humour, Keith thinks grumpily.

“What did he mean, exactly?” Shiro says then, drawing Keith back to the conversation at hand. “That a blade and a paladin couldn’t happen? Is there some kind of history there? I know the Blades pride themselves on putting the individual last but surely they have friends, families-”

“If there is a reason, I do not know it.”

“Perhaps Coran might? Where is he anyway?”

Allura shakes her head.  “I am not sure. He is preoccupied by a special project. I haven’t seen him for vargas.” she glances around.  “Or the mice either now that I think about it.”

They turn back to the holomap and hash out a plan. At least, Shiro and Allura do, with input from Matt and his contact with the other rebels leaders that aren’t too injured or battle weary to respond.  Everyone settles on the idea that it’s better to err on the side of caution and a group of fighters volunteer to patrol and monitor the outskirts of the quadrant to ensure Voltron isn’t caught by surprise. 

It should make Keith feel better but somehow… it doesn’t.

Eventually, Matt and Allura find other tasks and it leaves Shiro and Keith alone together on the bridge. Shiro pulls Keith close, draping an arm across Keith’s shoulders. 

“Hey, I can see you worrying.  We’re not going to let it stop us, okay. Whatever might have happened in the past, it doesn’t have anything to do with us.”  His grey eyes are sparking with determination. “We’re different.” 

Keith wants to look away but he can’t.  His voice croaks.  He seizes on that thread of confidence that Shiro offers him.  They’re not the paladins of old. They aren’t the blade of old.  How they do things will be different.

He eventually nods. The only threat will be to Zarkon himself if Keith has anything to say about it. 

\--

Hunk is rummaging around in the back of one of the hangar bays while Lance watches him curiously from the side. He grunts and pulls out something that looks like a sheet of metal and flings it over his shoulder.  It narrowly misses Pidge who’s just entered the room.

She dodges it nimbly with a yelp. “Hey!”

“Oops, sorry Pidge, didn’t see you.”

“Damn, Hunk.”  Lance is mildly impressed. “You gotta be careful how you wave those tree trunks around of yours.  You’re stronger than you look, you know.”

Hunk grunts again and flattens himself down onto the floor, reaching towards something in the back.  He strains, butt up in the air but unable to get even his shoulder through the small space.  He groans when he realises he’s just too big to reach what he needs to.  “Pidge! I need your short arms.”

Pidge rolls her eyes but trots over to help Hunk.  “What are you trying to do anyway?”

Once he sits back, Hunk gestures at pile of what looks to be shrapnel a few meters away.  “Well, Keith and Shiro need rings so I’m trying to find some stuff from home to melt down to make some.”

“Oh, like… elements from Earth?” Lance says. This he gets.

“Yeah,” Hunk shrugs.  “Well, not just elements because we can find them anywhere because, hello, universe, spaceships, space travel yada yada but... actual _bits_ from earth. Thought it might be a nice touch…. Only we didn’t have much with us when Blue brought us here.”

Lance wanders over to the pile. He doesn’t recognise any of it and figures that’s a good thing. He trusts Hunk not to melt down anything too vital.

“Um, question,” he says, hands on hips and peering over Pidge’s shoulder. “Why don’t we just go to the space mall?”

Pidge peers at him from over her glasses. “Um. Don’t you remember what happened last time we were there?”

“Besides, it would take too long,” Hunk adds.  “We’re too far away and the wedding is in-” Hunk counts it out on his fingers. “Seven vargas.”

“Maybe Allura has something.  I wish I’d been able to get her something sparkly like she wanted-”

“You don’t have any GAC anyway,” Pidge interrupts.

“Yeah, what’s with that anyway? Defenders of the universe and all that and not a single GAC to my name.” Lance shakes his head.  “Tragedy.”

Hunk grunts something that sounds like it could be agreement and goes back to rummaging around in the pile.

“Hey, so you will never guess what Keith did today.”

“Beat your scores in Killbot Phantasm?”

“What?!” Lance glares Pidge. “NO.”  He huffs irritably. “For your information, Keith came to his senses and _finally_ admitted something we’ve all known for like… _forever_.”

Hunk pauses and his eyes narrow in confusion. “Is… is he going to marry you instead?”

Lance turns his glare onto Hunk. “No… What? Why would you even- Nevermind. No, he asked me to be his best man.” 

He tries not to preen.  He’s pretty pleased with himself. Being the best man is pretty important after all – not to mention it’s about time that Keith noticed.

Pidge pushes up her glasses.  “Shiro asked me to be his best girl,” she says with a little smile.

“Yeah, and I’m head caterer.”  Hunk stares down at the pile and kicks a piece.  “And jeweller, I guess, although they didn’t technically ask about that part.”

“Aw man,” Lance feels a little deflated.  “So… so we all have something to do?”

“Yes,” Pidge shrugs.  “I mean… we’re the only family they have.  We have to make it count, right?”

“Right!” Hunk agrees with a firm nod of his head. 

Lance considers this and taps his chin. “Yeah, well, thing is… what does a best man actually… do?”

He finds himself looking over at Pidge first. She scowls at him. “Don’t look at me! Social niceties aren’t exactly my strong point.”

“Hmmm…. Maybe you need to give Shiro the shovel talk.” Hunk says with a shrug.  He picks up something out of his pile and studies it closely.

“What… what is the shovel talk?”

“You know,” Hunk says. He waves his hand dismissively. “The talk where you tell Shiro if he breaks Keith’s heart you know how to bury a body blah blah… or something. I don’t know.  I saw it in a movie once.”

Lance and Pidge stare at him in mute horror and he blinks owlishly. “What?”

Lance comes to his senses first. “Yeah, okay. _Not_ doing that.”

Matt wanders into the room before the conversation can make another detour to dead bodies ( _Seriously, Hunk. What the cheese?_ ) and Pidge hustles over to him.

“Hey,” she greets him excitedly.  “So what did they say? Is everyone coming?”

“Yes, well, almost everyone,” Matt answers.  “Hunk, the Balmerans are sending Shay. She even asked about you specifically.”

“Ohh,” Hunk’s cheeks go pink.  Lance snickers and nudges the big paladin with a grin. “Better polish up that suit, Hunk!” 

Hunk giggles. Actually _giggles_ and it’s hilarious but Pidge is frowning at her brother.

“So, what else aren’t you telling us?”

“Still can’t keep anything from you, huh, sis?”

“Nope,” she says proudly then points a chunk of some kind of shrapnel at him. “So… spill.” 

Lance tries not to smirk at the way Pidge is able to put Matt in his place so easily.  She can hold her own with anyone, that girl.

“Well, it seems the blades have concerns there may be an attack. No one knows where Lotor disappeared to after his big announcement and we haven’t heard from him since.”

“Why would he save us from Zarkon’s witch to just attack us later though?” Pidge says. “He can’t take on Voltron and the entire coalition on his own, he’s got to know that.”

“Yeah,” Lance pipes up.  “That would make him crazier than a cracked coconut.”

“Which he might be,” Hunk adds.  They all look at each other worriedly until Matt speaks again.

“Either way, we’ve got plans in place.  At least we will have plenty of warning if they do try to make a move.”

“Man, I hope not.  I don’t want to be around Keith and Shiro if they don’t get their wedding.  We’ve already had to put up with like, a lifetime of mooning after each other with them.” Lance tries not to shudder at the thought.

“Yeah, you think Keith is grumpy now-“ Hunk actually does shudder.

“What are you guys doing in here anyway?” Matt finally asks as he looks around curiously.

“Hunk is going to make the wedding rings, but with stuff from home.  Only we don’t have much since, uh, we didn’t get a lot of warning that we were about to end up halfway across the universe.”

“Oh! Wait!” Pidge exclaims.  “I still have my backpack somewhere.  I’ll be back in a tick.”

When she returns, she’s panting slightly and holding something silvery in her hands.  They look like military dogtags of some kind and… Oh. They’re from the Garrison.

Matt takes the tags from her and runs them through his fingers.  “They’re your old ones,” Pidge says quietly.  “Before they issued you new ones for the Kerberos mission but… I had to take them.  I needed something of yours to keep with me, other than the glasses I mean.”

“You should use these,” he says quietly.

“Matt?”

“It’d be an honour really.  Shiro saved my life.  The only reason I’m still here is because of what he did for me in the arena.”

Pidge’s lip trembles and Matt throws his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t you agree, sis?” Pidge nods her face against his chest.

“That’s really cool of you man,” Hunk says.

“Yeah,” Lance is a bit more grudging but he agrees. 

Matt actually looks a little embarrassed.  “Well, it’s a start I guess.”

\--

Keith should have realised that when he skunked off silently to the observation deck that Shiro would have followed him. He’s sitting on the smooth floor, one knee drawn up as he tilts his face up to the mass of stars outside the viewport when Shiro takes a seat beside him.

“Not getting cold feet, are you?”  Shiro’s voice is mostly teasing but Keith knows him well enough now that he can read the question in his tone.  He frowns and shakes his head.

“What? No, why would you even say that?”

Shiro looks away.  “It’s happening so fast.  Are you sure this is what you want? I… I realise that proposing to you in front of the team may not have been the best way to go about it.  I know it put you on the spot.  So-“

Keith’s heart hammers in his chest.  He knows where Shiro is trying to go with this.  Big, stupid, self-sacrificing idiot that he is.

“If this is your way of trying to call off the wedding you’ve got another thing coming,” Keith says irritably.

Shiro’s eyes widen almost comically. “No, I-“

“Do you remember the first time you kissed me back at the garrison?” Keith pushes on.

“Actually,” Shiro answers. “You kissed me if I remember correctly.”

Keith tries to stay stern even as he recalls the memory. It makes him want to smile though. “The first time you kissed me back then,” he amends, a little less heat in his tone. 

Shiro cocks his head and nods. “I do.”

“Do you remember what it was like? I knew even then that this is how we would end up. I didn’t know how or why or what we would have to do to get here but I knew we would. And you knew it too.”

Keith twists then, positioning himself in front of Shiro and planting his thighs over his fiancé’s until they are face to face. He’s practically in Shiro’s lap, legs curled around Shiro's waist, the pale green lights of the observation deck washing over them.  Shiro’s gaze on him is soft, so soft it chases away all of Keith’s nerves.

“I did,” Shiro says and then he kisses Keith long and sweet and it’s a good thing they’re already sitting down because the softness of Shiro’s lips sliding over his, the gentle teasing of his tongue tasting him – it’s enough to turn Keith’s bones to jelly.

They break apart after a moment and Keith lays his head against Shiro’s chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart beating so strong inside him. “Nothing is going to stop me from marrying you tomorrow,” he whispers it fiercely.  “Nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god... there's still an entire day of shenanigans to get through before we can even get to the main event WHAT IS THIS FIC


	8. Chapter 8

That night, the whole team opt to forgo a meal around the formal dining table and crowd into the kitchen instead.  Even Coran and the space mice have emerged from whatever dark hole they’d managed to sequester themselves into for most of the day and now he’s shadowing Hunk and peering over his shoulder as Hunk bustles around in his apron.  The apron has a new addition, with the words _kiss the cook_ scrawled across it.  Shiro thinks it looks suspiciously like Lance’s handwriting when he catches a glimpse of it.

It’s a bit of a tight squeeze in the kitchen but it’s far homier than the dining room. Pidge is perched on the bench next to Lance as he lazes on one of the stools tapping out an annoying tune with his utensils. Pidge goes to give him a little shove but he dodges out of the way and taps a little louder, also adding his voice to his tune and grinning widely. Pidge pretends to plug her ears but Lance just leans in and sings a little louder.

He’s actually not half bad at holding a tune but his song choice is pretty questionable.  Shiro can’t help but chuckle at their antics although he’s not sure if he should be concerned by the pained expression on Matt’s face as he sits on the other side of the bench from them.

Jealous, maybe?

Shiro decides he’s not going to think too hard about that.  Sibling squabbles are well out of his sphere of knowledge considering he doesn’t have any himself.

A steaming bowl of what looks to be some kind of soup gets thrust under his nose.  It smells amazing and his stomach grumbles in appreciation.  With all the party planning and strategy games and even the bout of physical training they’d done today, he’d completely forgotten to eat and it was the first time he’d had a chance to consume anything all day.  Shiro happily wolfs it down, feeling a touch guilty at Hunk’s excited reaction when he realises he’s not one hundred percent sure if it tasted insanely delicious or he was just… really, really hungry.

Hunk hands over another bowl to each of them then disappears out of the room.  Everyone seems to enjoy it except for Allura who looks at it mistrustingly. 

“It’s good,” he says with a grin. “Go on, try it.  Tastes like chicken.”

“Chicken?”

“Yeah,” Shiro says before realising Allura would have no idea what a chicken is. 

“Um, small feathered bird?” Shiro hedges.  Allura’s eyes widen.

“We eat their eggs too!” Lance leans over to say. Allura looks faint at that but Lance doesn’t seem to notice.

“Oh, quiznack,” she says softly.

“I wonder if this is some kind of space chicken?” Lance continues.  “Where did Hunk find space chickens? Hunk- Hey, where’d he go?”

Keith pauses with his spoon halfway to his mouth. He’s been quiet at Shiro’s side during their gathering but there’s been plenty of smiles instead of scowls so Shiro feels assured that the earlier bump in the road with Kolivan was just that – a bump in the road and nothing more. It’s extra reassurance that Shiro can feel Keith’s ankle casually hooked around his own where they sit. It’s a private touch, out of sight of the others and Shiro enjoys the physical connection without the outside attention it might attract. “He ducked out a few minutes ago,” Keith says.

“Huh,” Lance glances around once then shrugs and dives back into his meal without a second thought.

Shiro finishes his second helping and is about help clear away the used bowls when Hunk slides back into the room.  Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Hunk go directly to Matt and Pidge then as he beckons to Allura and Coran and they jump up from their seats to huddle around something Hunk is holding in his hand.  When Lance tries to muscle his way into the huddle, Shiro turns to Keith with one brow raised.

“Do you get the feeling they’re up to something?”

Keith stifles a yawn, barely.  He looks tired and Shiro’s mind wanders briefly to his suite- no- _their_ suite and how good it’s going to feel to finally haul Keith into his arms later and fall asleep listening to the sound of his breathing.

“As long as it doesn’t involve any more of Lance’s singing, I don’t really care what they’re up to,” Keith says. His grin is a bit on the smug side and not for the first time Shiro wonders how Keith and Lance didn’t set the entire Garrison on fire with their mutual antagonism.  Man, if only Iverson could see them now, though.

Shiro goes to respond but before he can, there are voices raised and a squabble breaks out between Matt and Lance while Coran tries to talk them down.  Hunk shares a look with Allura and Pidge before easily stepping around his arguing team mates and heading over to where Shiro and Keith are still sitting.

“So, uh,” Hunk starts. His dark skin manages to flush a deep rose and he is clearly nervous.  “We found some stuff from home and I made these for you guys.  Because you need to have rings, right? If you’re married, you need to wear rings?” 

Hunk rubs the back of his neck with one hand and holds out a small box in the other. Shiro takes it as Keith leans closer to get a better look. Shiro flips the lid of the box and his breath immediately catches in his throat as he stares down.

Nestled in the box are two beautifully formed rings, one slightly larger than the other.  They glint under the castle’s lights, deep tones of a glittery black and blood red - their original paladin colours. Shiro pictures himself and Keith with these beautiful rings on their fingers, nestled against their skin under their armour or gloves – or clenching pale sheets - forever linking them to each other, two halves of a whole.  It wouldn’t matter if Keith went with the Blades to chase down extra missions because only one glance at his hand and he would be reminded of Shiro and that there is someone waiting for him to come home. 

Just that thought alone made more emotion bubble up inside his chest than he had been prepared for.  He had to cover his mouth with one hand and squeeze his eyes shut in an attempt to regain control of himself. 

“Hunk, these… these are incredible,” Keith says, stepping in to give Shiro a tick to breathe.  The awe in Keith’s voice is unmistakable.

“I got Pidge to scan your sizes so they should be a perfect fit but if they aren’t –“

Shiro places his hand on Hunk’s arm.  His eyes are shimmering.  “Thank you, Hunk,” he says it softly and full of feeling. “They’re amazing.”

\--

After the meal, they all shuffle over to the lounge and Lance wastes no time in getting comfortable. They aren’t there long before the Alteans beg off, saying how tired they are, Pidge and Matt do the same.  Hunk is already snoring with his head pillowed under Lance’s thigh.

Keith looks concerned when Hunk lets a particularly loud snore rip. “Um… Is he okay?”

Lance glances down then shrugs. “Eh, he’s fine.”  He does poke him though, which causes Hunk to snort but not actually wake up. Great, looks like he’s gonna be stuck here for a while.

“So….” Lance says casually after a few empty ticks.  Keith is still watching Hunk like he’s some kind of unpredictable lab experiment and Shiro is lounging back with a terminal in his hand.  Now would be a good time for that shovel talk Hunk mentioned.  As though he read Lance’s thoughts, Shiro looks up at him.

 “Shiro,” he says, clearing his throat to deepen his voice.  He tries to school his face into a serious expression.  Shiro is still watching him.

“Lance.”

Shiro’s voice is deeper. _Damnit._

“So,” Lance continues after a few beats. “My boy Keith here has asked me, nay, BEGGED me to be his best man-“

“I did not beg,” Keith mutters indignantly, his voice rises little higher in pitch than normal.  Lance and Shiro ignore him.

“-his best man and part of those duties is to have a very serious talk with Keith’s future husband.  A very. Serious. Talk.”

Lance could have sworn he saw Shiro’s lips twitch but he doesn’t smile.

“Pretty sure it’s not,” he replies. “But… okay.”

Lance gathers his courage.  Okay, so far so good.  He takes a deep breath. “I have to say this… if you break my boy Keith’s heart, I’ll break you- Well, I won’t actually break you because…. Well, you’re Shiro but… but I’ll be really mad and you don’t want to see me mad-”

Quiznack, this isn’t going how he pictured it in his head.  Hunk chooses that moment to snuffle and roll over, almost toppling off the couch.  It wakes him and he bolts upright. “Huh? What? What just happened?”

“Lance just threatened to break Shiro,” Keith deadpans.  He’s got a straight face but his cheeks are stained pink. Hunk’s eyes flick from Lance to Shiro and he looks slightly terrified. “Dude, not the shovel talk.”

“Shh!!” Lance hisses at Hunk and elbows him.  He turns back to Shiro, who’s watching him now with a shuttered expression. “Shiro?”

There’s a long pause and Lance starts to wonder if he can make it to an escape pod in time.

“Duly noted,” Shiro finally says.  Lance can’t be sure but he thinks he sure Shiro’s lips twitch. He breathes a sigh of relief.

“Good, great! Now that that’s out of the way… How are your vows coming along?”

Keith’s head swivels towards him so fast, Lance is surprised it didn’t fall off.  His violet hued eyes are wide like he’s just seen a ghost.  “Vows!?”

Lance shakes his head in dismay.  “Oh, Keith.  What would you do without me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Lance, he's trying so hard haha


	9. Chapter 9

Pidge lies on her stomach, legs kicked up behind her head as she scribbles nonsense artworks onto her notebook.  She had planned to crash as soon she got to her room but having Matt sprawled out on a mattress on the floor beside her reminds her so much of being at home when her biggest concern was how much icecream she could sneak after dinner without her parents noticing, and not whether she would survive the week. 

It reminds her of being even younger again, when she had nightmares and couldn’t sleep and Matt would watch over her as he studied from the same spot on the floor of her room with nothing but the sound of the pages of his textbooks swishing and the orange glow of the lamp washing over them.  It makes her nostalgic and it causes her mind wander to places she has to fight to stay away from because it just hurts too much.

“It’s so weird.  A day ago so many people were counting on us and I wasn’t sure if we would survive and tomorrow we’re going to a wedding.”

Matt looks up from one of the scrapyard fluffs he was running his fingers over as it chirped in his lap.  He was fascinated with all the things she’d collected since their escape from Earth. She loved tell him the story behind every piece and seeing his eyes just shine with pride at her. 

“It is pretty weird.  But it’s incredible too.”

Pidge pushes the notebook away and sits up, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms tightly around them. A wave of sadness settles heavily over her shoulders.  “I wonder what Mom would have made of all this.”

Matt bites his lip and looks down. He looks a lot like how Pidge is feeling – tired, excited, anxious. But mostly tired.  “I think about her a lot.  With you out here too… she’s… she’s all alone back home.”

“I know,” and Pidge feels her eyes start to water and her nose sting as the tears came.  “I keep telling myself at least she’s safe. Not like us.”

Matt hops up and crawls over the bed to her and wraps his arms around her shoulders, drawing her in close to his side.  She curls into his chest and he rests his head on the fluffy mop of her hair.  “We just have to focus on that. Remember that she’s safe.”

“We have to find dad, Matt.  We _have_ to.”

Matt’s quiet for a few moments and in the absence of a response, Pidge cries a little harder.  “I miss them.”

“I miss them too.  We’re doing this for them.”

\--

Keith is trailing after Shiro, about to head into Shiro's- No, _their_ room when Lance appears out of nowhere and inserts himself confidently between them.

“What, are you following us now?” Keith mutters.

Lance is glaring at him.  “Our rooms are all in the same corridor, dumbass.”

“Ugh,” Keith tries to shuffle around Lance but Lance sidesteps to stay in front of him.  Keith gives him a dirty look. Over Lance’s shoulder, he can see Shiro waiting invitingly for him by the door.

He glances sideways at Lance then sidesteps again.  Lance is quick but the extra hours of training means that Keith is quicker. He’s at Shiro’s side in a heartbeat and more than ready to trudge through the doorway and to curl up in Shiro’s bed. Preferably naked.

“WHOA, WHOA, WHOA,” Lance is waving his hands around looking distinctly panicked. “YOU CAN’T GO IN THERE!”

Keith thinks he can feel the life ebbing out of him.  “Okay, I’ll bite,” Keith says tiredly.  He crosses his arms across his chest and tries not to look bored. “ _Why_ can’t I go in there?”

Lance looks scandalized.  Keith suddenly develops a headache.

“No seeing the bride before the wedding,” Lance is saying. “It’s bad luck.”

There’s a buzzing in Keith’s ears and he has to consciously draw breath not to strangle Lance right there and then.  “Come on, man,” he finally groans.  It’s dangerously close to a whine.  “What are you talking about?”

Keith had been looking forward to finally getting some quiet time alone with Shiro.  He’s tired, a tiny bit anxious and his jaw kind of hurts from the wallop the training mech caught him with earlier in the evening. 

“Not sure if that rule applies out here, Lance. No bride for starters,” Shiro offers from the door.

Lance plants his hands onto his hips and stares at them defiantly. He wisely doesn’t follow up on Shiro’s comment about the bride. “But it’s tradition! You can’t spend the night before the wedding together, it’s bad luck and quiznak knows we’ve got enough of that around here as it is.”

“I’m not superstitious,” Keith wants to respond but Lance shushes him. 

“You think I’m going to take any chances?”

“Wait, did you just shush me?” Keith says incredulously.  Lance barrels right past.

“Come on, you’re going to your own room. The fate of the universe depends on it-“

Keith looks imploringly over his shoulder at Shiro, his eyebrows rising under his hairline just as Lance grabs a fistful of his jacket and tugs none too gently. Keith realises with a start that Shiro is trying to hold back a laugh. He growls at the back of his throat.

 _Traitor._ First Red, now Shiro? Why is everyone suddenly taking Lance’s side?

“I’m not sure, Keith,” Shiro says in mock seriousness. “Lance might be right. We can’t afford to take any chances…  Fate of the universe at stake and all that.”

“Ha!” Lance says just as Keith squeaks out _you’ve got to be kidding me!_

Lance shoves Keith towards his own doorway. It’s only a few feet away from Shiro’s (and Lance’s, since he’s on the other side) but with the walls between them it may as well be on the other side of the galaxy.

Keith sees his intentions of snuggling up against Shiro’s back for the night just vanish in a puff of smoke.  

“Guess I’ll just see you tomorrow at the altar,” Shiro calls out.  Keith watches as his future husband gives him a jaunty little salute and steps backwards into his room. The door swishes closed and Keith is left seething in the hallway with Lance.

 _“You are the worst best man, EVER!”_ he wants to say.

Instead, he swallows his defeat and trails after Lance to the doorway of his own room and heads inside.  He half expects Lance to slip in behind him and chain him to the bed but Lance just stands at the doorway, motioning from his eyes to Keith with his hands.

“I’m going to be right out here so don’t try anything stupid.”

“What are you, my jailor?” Keith mutters.  He flops heavily onto his bed.

“Listen, if you want to mess with the fate of the universe, you’re not doing it on my watch,” Lance finally says firmly. He gives Keith one more hard stare.  “In the meantime… Vows!”

The door slides shut then locks and Keith just groans into his hands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, thank god. Almost at the wedding day... ALMOST


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiro, sweetie I'm so sorry that a ugly ass bitch like this would even say this oh my god

Keith waits all of a single varga before approaching his door and letting the lock disengage with a faint hiss.  The doors part and slide open silently and he takes a deep breath as he steps into the doorway to cast a quick glance down the corridor.

The long hallway is lit with pale blue lights and empty.  He smirks to himself then looks to the other side. _Excellent, all clear._

Except it’s not.

“Going somewhere?”

Keith yelps.  Actually _yelps_ and his face flames hot and angry.   

“Lance!” he hisses, glaring at the other paladin. Lance is glaring back at Keith in obvious disapproval, arms tight across his chest and one foot tapping out an irritated rhythm. “How did you do that?!”

Lance waves his arms around mysteriously.  “I. Am. Everywhere,” he growls dramatically.

There’s a few long moments where they stare each other down, neither one willing to be the first to yield.  It goes on a few beats more before Keith huffs. 

“Fine,” he mutters and goes back into his room. He feels Lance’s suspicious eyes on him even as the door slides shut behind and he takes a seat at the edge of his bunk.

Then he flips open his communicator and types out a quick message to Shiro.

_Lance busted me._

He doesn’t have to wait long for Shiro’s response.  It glows brightly on the orange screen.

_What a shame. This bed is awfully empty without you._

Keith wants to groan at the thought of that bed.  And Shiro on top of it.

_What about the fate of the universe and all that?_

_Guess we shouldn’t tempt fate._

Keith’s fingers pause over the keys before he finally types out: _I just want to tempt you._

_Keith… You’ve tempted me every single day since we’ve first met. You know that, right?_

It makes Keith want to throw his communicator against the wall.  Stupid wedding traditions. Stupid Lance. 

He just wants to be in Shiro’s orbit tonight of all nights.  His emotions the past few days have been a little too bare, a little too raw.  He’d been letting his walls slip and his edges are thrumming exposed nerves, leaving him feeling unsettled and vaguely panicked.  He needs to sink into his safe space, to have Shiro soothe his over-sensitive edges with his touch. 

Too many things have conspired to keep them apart, including their own misguided emotions and all Keith really wants to do is make up for lost time. 

_I just… I wanted to be with you tonight._

It takes a few moments for the next message to come through.  It was long enough that Keith wondered if maybe Shiro had fallen asleep.

_One more night.  After tomorrow, nothing will ever be able to keep us apart ever again._

That has Keith smiling and he’s almost knocked breathless by the flood of warmth that blooms inside him.  It’s a little startling facing his emotions like this, letting them just… run rampant inside him.  He keeps waiting for the crash, for the wild swing from happiness and contentment to plunge into the depths of despair.  There’s always a cost.  To feel like this, to feel happy like this… He can’t shake the little voice inside the back of his mind that this will all come crashing down. That this kind of bliss doesn’t belong to a half human, half Galra hybrid.

There’s a rumble inside his mind and Keith catches the faint twang of a gentle chastising and a bloom of warmth.  Red bats away his negative thoughts with a large swipe of her metal paws.

He smiles and in spite of his fear, another chip falls away from the walls he’s built inside of himself.

 _I’m having trouble sleeping,_ he messages back quickly.  _I hear the ‘bride’ is going to be a bit of a catch._

_I think you were the only bride Lance was talking about, baby._

Keith laughs out loud in spite of himself then there’s a loud thump on his wall followed by Lance’s very put out voice. 

“YOU’RE RUINING YOUR BEAUTY SLEEP. DON’T MAKE MY JOB HARDER THAN IT HAS TO BE!”

Keith groans and flops backwards onto his mattress.

\--

Allura is up and dressed by the time Coran finds her already hard at work on the bridge.  She’s monitoring the movements of various shuttles around the castle and directing the arrivals of the several guests as they coast closer.

“Princess, you’re up early!”

She flashes a smile at him.  “We have a lot of guests arriving this morning. And…” she glances away shyly.  “It must seem silly but I’m excited.  I’m am excited to be meeting these members of the coalition and to not be talking about strategy or trying to establish an alliance or fighting over who needs Voltron’s help more.  Today is just to celebrate, just to celebrate love and to be happy-“  she grasps Coran’s wrist, her eyes wide and determination setting her mouth.  “It’s going to be a wonderful day.”

Coran beams back at her. “It is, princess.  Would you like to see the ballroom? It’s almost ready.”

He doesn’t have to ask her twice, and after a few more swipes and flight plans established for their visitors, she follows him to the castles ballroom.  It hasn’t been used since the ill-fated party they held for the Arusians and the attack from Sendek but looking at it now, you could barely tell that it was inside of a ship floating in space.  The room was unrecognizable… and absolutely beautiful.

“Oh Coran, it’s breath taking.”

Allura takes a few steps forward and has to crane her neck to look upwards to take it all in.  The holographic patterns lit the room, washing over the walls and floors with a scene of distant mountain ranges that didn’t look like any planet she had visited recently.  If anything, it looks closer to Altea and it made her heart pang a little in her chest.

“I tried to make it more… Earth like… but it’s hard to do without a reference,” Coran is saying. “So, I had to use Altea as my template. Over there in the centre, a circular platform will rise up a few steps and that’s where Shiro and Keith will exchange their words of love and fidelity and then…”  Coran waves his hands and the scene changes.  Now the room looks more like he ballroom that Allura is familiar with, although with dim lighting and a warm glow washing over the floor from the lamps. 

“Beautiful, Coran.  I’m sure they will both love it.”

\--

The dream is always the same. 

The wash of violet over him, the harsh guttural speech of the druids and the cold hard bands snapped around his limbs to hold him to the table.  He’s begging them, crying out and begging them not to hurt him, to not hurt _them_ , but they don’t listen. They never listen.

They just keep advancing, hideous yellow orbs glowing flames, clawed fingers curling around an object that looks viciously enough like a blade to make him sob out loud in fear.

 _Champion_ , they hiss.  The sound is all around him, scraping down the insides of his skull and Shiro thrashes.  _No, No, No._

_Champion._

He feels their cold caress over his arm. His human arm. 

He bites down so hard to supress his terror that he tastes blood. He knows what comes next.

The huddle of druids surrounding him part and there’s a figure behind them.  A mop of dark hair and indigo eyes that flash in confusion.  Shiro gasps.  

“Keith!”

This…. This isn’t right. This isn’t how the dream is supposed to go. He starts to struggle in earnest.  Not Keith, not him.  He would prefer to endure a thousand deaths at the hands of the Galra than let them touch Keith.

The hiss invades his mind again.  _Champion._

_Paladin._

And he scrunches his eyes up but something forces them open. 

_Mate._

He is powerless to fight them. The force him to look, to take in the scene before him.  It’s dizzying in it’s horror.  There’s Keith, but… smiling, his head thrown back and eyes closed in the way he draws into himself in ecstasy when Shiro is loving him, inside him.  But there’s something else too… Someone else.

Shiro thrashes against his bonds.  The second figure is curled around Keith, nuzzling into the side of Keith’s neck.  The embrace should have been loving but there’s a wicked blade at the base of Keith’s throat.  Then the figure looks up and Shiro wants to scream.  It’s wearing _his_ face, glowing yellow eyes stare Shiro down. His heart stops.

“No,” he whispers hoarsely. “NO!”

He struggles again, tears warring with the panic that’s stealing his breath.  “GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

There’s laughter and another figure steps into the light. He feels the horror of familiarity wash over him.

“Your mate…” 

And he recognises that voice. Zarkon’s witch. That voice sends shards of ice down his spine.  Then, on the other side of the witch, an image swirls to light. It takes a few terrifying ticks for it to come into focus but once it does, there’s no mistaking it.

Earth. 

Surrounded by a multitude of Galra fleets.

“Your mate,” the witch hisses again, her voice is harsh and savage against his brain.  _“Or your planet-“_

Shiro wakes with a start – chest heaving and fingers of dread scratching over his skin. He flings the sheets off and stumbles to the bathroom and this time he is sick, straight into the bowl leaving him feverish and shuddering.  There’s a brush of alarm over him, enough to make the hairs on his arms stand on end and he croaks out “I’m okay, it’s okay. Just… just a bad dream. Not real.  Not fucking real-”

And then he’s sliding down the wall to slump beside the doorway and he’s not even bothering to stop the tears. Another brush against his mind.  He can’t quite make it out, it feels hazy, distant and he closes his eyes and pulls his knees up to rest his forehead against them.

Somehow, he manages to pull himself together.  Stumbles to his feet and yanks off his tank, his briefs until he’s naked and steps under the spray of the water.  He turns the heat up, enough to make it scorch his skin red in an effort to burn away the chill inside him.

It almost works.

By the time he drags himself out of the bathroom and towels himself down, he’s calmer.  The dream is starting to fade but it still has its hooks in the back of his consciousness.  For all his waxing poetic to Keith about how they would face the fight with Zarkon together, that they knew the risks… if it really came down to a choice like that-

He knows what Keith would want him to do – but would he have the courage to see the light in those violet eyes die if it meant that billions of others would still shine?

The thought almost makes him want to be sick again but Pidge’s knock at the door shifts his focus enough to distract him.  She’s smiling as she steps into his room, her brother trailing behind him.

“Rise and shine!” she says happily and then rushes over to throw her arms around him in a hug. “Oooh, I’m so excited! We’re going to make this the best day ever!”

Then he remembers. Today… Today is his wedding day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls take pity on me and let me know if you're enjoying this so far...? you can yell at me at flashedarrow.tumblr.com


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning is a rude awakening for Keith when twin pairs of hands yank the sheets off his slumbering form and then he’s being unceremoniously dragged out of bed and thrown into the shower.  

“Man, for a little guy, he sure is heavy,” he dimly hears what sounds to be Lance say.

“Must be the Galra,” Hunk answers and Keith is groaning. So that’s who the other one manhandling him is. Figures Lance couldn’t lift him alone.

He wants to say something cutting but just then his bare feet find the cool tiles of the shower.  He blinks as the bathroom door slams and an instant later water starts cascading down.  He lets loose a few expletives at the first initial cold blast and stumbles back, realising belatedly he’s still wearing his sleep clothes.

“That’s for trying to sneak out last night!” Lance yells through the door.

“UGGH, I’m starting to regret asking you to be my best man, you know,” Keith hollers back.  He fumbles sleepily with the water controls and manages to get the water to a more comfortable setting before stripping off his shirt and sleep pants, silently relived that he actually _wore_ pants last night.  Often that wasn’t the case. 

It would have served Lance and Hunk right if he wasn’t.

“Nuh, uh,” Lance’s confident response comes from the other side of the bathroom door. “No take backs, mullet.  Besides, if it wasn’t for me you’d probably still be sleeping the day away and not writing your vows like you should be, am I right?”

Keith groans as he wrestles out of his wet shirt.  He briefly considers balling it up in readiness to peg it at Lance’s head once he’s out of the shower but he takes a deep breath and reminds himself that today is his wedding day and he can afford to let it go… barely.

“Actually, Shiro and I wrote them last night.”

There’s a few beats of silence on the other side. Keith has a mental image of Lance freaking out and then he chuckles dryly. “Don’t worry,” he calls out again.  “It was all over text. We didn’t even video chat or anything. Happy?”

There’s some kind of muffled response but it doesn’t sound too negative so Keith concentrates on his shower. The water goes a long way to helping him to wash away the last heavy vestiges of sleep and by the time he’s stepping back into the bedroom and drying his hair, Lance is lounging against the wall with his arms crossed and waiting expectantly.

Keith glances around.  “Where’d your muscle go?”

“Went back to the kitchen,” Lance shrugs.  “He’s been working in there for hours.  I think he’s stress baking.”

Keith finds himself chuckling at that.  He notices it then; the way Lance is looking at Keith a bit strangely.  Keith feels his cheeks flaming and he glances around the room uncomfortably.

“What?”

“It’s your big day-“

“No kidding. You just work that out?”

“You’re pretty calm about it.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Keith replies.  He rubs the back of his head then shrugs.  “It’s not like I’m facing down an entire Galra fleet on my own or anything.”

“When my sister got married, she was a wreck all day.  Couldn’t stop crying all morning. Not until Mom told her she was going to ruin her makeup.”

Keith pauses for a moment and tries to gauge what his emotions are doing.  Maybe he should be nervous, or anxious or… scared?

But he’s not.  If anything, he’s excited.  Happy.  He wants this more than he’s ever wanted anything, even the stars, and it’s so close he can almost taste it.

Shiro… Shiro will be his husband. Shiro, who he can love and hold and worship any time he wants, anytime he needs.  _All_ of Shiro, not just the facade he lets the others see, but all of him, even the quiet parts, the parts that make him cry out in his sleep and steal his appetite or that make him absently grip Keith’s hand so tight he’s worried his bones might break. 

Everyone else gets the consummate leader, the kind friend, the survivor… The hero.

Keith gets it all.

“Uh oh,” Lance chuckles then, bringing Keith out of the moment with a little thud.  “You’re all moon eyed.  If it wasn’t so sweet I might want to puke.”

Keith laughs a little in embarrassment. “Shut up, jerk.”

Lance cackles and slaps him on the back.  “Let’s go eat before Hunk tries to bake another million cookies and we’re all too big to fit in our suits.”

He follows after Lance, pausing for just half a beat outside of Shiro’s door, wondering if Shiro was still sleeping, or if he was already working out down on the training deck.  Keith’s pretty confident that even their wedding day wouldn’t stop him from training and Keith knows because he’s already itching himself to get a work out in.  The wedding is hours away yet, hopefully he’ll get time later.

Hunk greets him with a wave of the spatula then promptly shoves a tray of food in front of them one they take a seat. Lance wasn’t kidding - there’s trays and trays of food, most of it stuff Keith has never even seen before.  With the exception of Shiro and Pidge, everyone is around the table. Keith’s eyes keep shifting to the doorway with the hope he’ll catch even a glimpse of Shiro but it seems like Lance is really keeping true to his word about not letting them see each other before the ceremony.  

He sighs a little in defeat and decides to try one of Hunk’s new dishes. It’s not too bad but it’s sweet enough to make him see stars so he pushes it away.  Lance is chattering away about his plans for Keith but Keith is only half listening.

“-a little beauty treatment, maybe a trim… some relaxing music-“

Keith catches only part of what Lance is saying but it’s enough to make him sit up. He’s going to marry Shiro later, but first he needs to suffer through the day utterly at Lance’s mercy.

_What was he thinking?!_

\--

In another part of the castle, Shiro is sitting with Matt and Pidge and trying to mentally give himself permission to let go.  Hearing Matt’s voice sometimes means he’s immediately transported back in his memory to the shuttle flying through space towards Pluto.  It leaves him feeling vaguely unsettled, he tries not to think too much about that time, when he was still young and full of an unshakeable confidence.

“So,” he says casually, a little bit awkwardly. The room they’re standing in doesn’t have much, just a a makeshift couch that looks like really a punch of mattress piled together and a strange contraption of wires and equipment he didn’t even want to look at.  Shiro doesn’t recognise it, but it’s hardly surprising that with a castleship of this size and only a handful of people on board that there would be vast areas not in use.  “What’s our plan for today?”

Pidge fiddles with her glasses and Shiro immediately recognises it for her smug little tell.  She’s come up with something she’s proud of but what she says actually catches him unawares.

“Absolutely nothing.”

Shiro blinks.  “Wait… what?”

“Today is about you, right? You and Keith.  And the two of you finally making a commitment to each other.  It’s your day.  We can do whatever you want to do.”  Pidge pauses and scrunches up her nose adorably.  “Even push-ups,” she says it like it’s a dirty word and Shiro laughs.

“Well, to be honest, I can’t remember the last time I tuned out with a movie or a good book.  Do we even have anything like that on the ship?”

Pidge starts to look excited.  “Lance and I picked up some old Earth movies when we were at the space mall!”

“That same shop you got Kaltenecker?”

“Yup!” Pidge vaults to her feet.  “Be right back!”

She’s out the door before he can blink and Matt chuckles as he climbs to his feet.  “In some ways she hasn’t changed at all, in some ways I barely recognise her.”

“It’s been a long journey but we’re all so proud of her.”

“Yeah, man,” Matt nods in agreement. “Thank you… thank you for looking out for her.”

Before he can respond, Pidge is back with Hunk trailing her.  They settle down beside him, pulling out the various movie titles and chattering excitedly.  It was so strange to see such items from Earth all the way out here.  It almost felt like a different life, a different reality. 

A faint tendril of fear from his dream curls around him but he pushes it down.  Matt waves as he leaves them to their movies, probably heading off to pester Allura if he’s not meeting the rebel guests arriving now.

Along with the movie, Hunk impresses with the snacks he manages to rustle up alongside a couple of his famous celebratory milkshakes.  There’s even something that looks and tastes like popcorn, although the flavour isn’t quite right.  It’s nuttier and leaves Shiro’s tongue feeling a bit weird but it doesn’t stop him grabbing multiple handfuls.

It takes him a while to finally start to relax.  The memory of the dream paws distantly at him. He can’t remember the last time he felt so idle and initially, it just fills him with a vague sense panic, of time slipping away, that he should be doing something – _anything -_ to aid their fight against Zarkon and the Empire.  He has trouble following the first movie, his mind keeps wandering, but as Hunk and Pidge pop on the next one and make exclamations about how he’d never seen them before the nightmare has completely faded and he’s laughing at Hunk’s impression of the characters on screen.

“Okay, I have no idea that that was but I’m guessing it’s from the next movie?”

“Wait, wait, wait…. You’ve always wanted to go to space but you’ve never watched a single Star Wars movie?”  Hunk demands.  He looks so personally affronted at the concept that Shiro actually starts to feel bad.

Shiro takes another handful of the not-popcorn and shrugs apologetically. “There wasn’t a lot of time for that growing up,” he says. He can feel Pidge’s eyes on him and see that she’s speculating. He really hopes she lets it go.  He’s in a fun mood, he wants to hold onto it.

“What about Killbot Phantasm?”

“Errr, what?”

“Oh my god,” Hunk exclaims in horror.  “Pidge, did you hear that? Tell me you heard that.”

“Shiro,” Pidge takes a deep breath. “This is something we really DO have to fix.”


	12. Chapter 12

Keith perches on the edge of the table uncomfortably as Lance flutters around him. The other paladin is staring at him hard, fingers tapping his chin and he’s occasionally muttering something Keith can’t quite understand. 

Then Lance’s long fingers are suddenly reaching towards Keith’s head.

“Don’t. Even. _Think._ About it.”

“Aww,” Lance freezes, then his shoulders slump and he pouts. He lasts all of three ticks before his hands are twitching again and he’s sliding another dangerous step closer to Keith.  “Come on,” he whines. “Just…  just let me at it!”

Keith’s eyes narrow and a snarl rumbles in his chest in a wordless warning.

“Okay, okay, jeez, fine I won’t touch the hair,” Lance huffs then backs up a few steps.  “Guess we’ll skip straight to the beauty treatments instead then.”

That’s when Keith notices them. Bowls of something steaming and foul looking resting on the bench space behind Lance.  His eyebrows shoot up. “What the hell is that?”

Lance grins and takes a bowl, presenting it to Keith with a flourish. “This is going to change your life, my man!”

Lance takes a step closer and the waft of sickly sweet scent hits Keith like a brick to the face.  “Oh my god,” he stutters. 

The smell is…. Well, it’s not good and Keith feels a little bit like he might end up losing half his breakfast.

“Yeaahhh,” Lance says apologetically.  “Couldn’t do much about that part. Just ignore it.”

“Ignore it? It smells like old feet!”

“You should be used to it then,” Lance snickers.  “Now. Allow me to demonstrate.”

Without waiting for an answer, Lance smears the goop onto his face, gesturing for Keith to do the same.  Keith really isn’t looking forward to this.

He hesitates for a few heartbeats, just staring down at the goop.  He finally sticks one digit in the bowl and scoops up a small amount on his fingertip.  It’s green and stingy and just… _oh god,_ the smell is awful.  He’s about to push the bowl away when he realises that Lance is staring at him expectantly and it makes him pause. 

For all their bickering, he can see that Lance has made an effort to share something with him.  Not exactly Keith’s cup of tea but he feels bad at the thought of seeing Lance’s eyes fall in disappointment. 

Eventually, Keith sighs loudly and dramatically and then smears it onto his face. It makes his skin feel weird, kind of tingly but also… nice.  It feels pleasant enough that he starts to forget about the smell.  He watches as Lance grins at him through the mask then lies back, getting comfortable with two round greenish disks that he places over his eyes.

Keith thinks this is possibly the weirdest way he’s ever spent a morning and that’s quite a feat considering their lives of screaming through the galaxy and battling big purple aliens in giant metal space cats.

He follows Lance’s lead as he also lies back and closes his eyes (but he draws the line at the other stuff).  The room’s lighting dims a little and a soft music starts to play.  It’s alien and a little distracting and it’s not long until Keith’s mind is following the thread of the music and he’s relaxing easily onto his back.

Okay. He could get used to this. 

Long minutes seem to pass and Lance is so quiet that Keith feels his body start to drift towards sleep. He wonders idly if there’s something narcotic in whatever it is that Lance has mixed up. Some kind of alien space magic mushroom? He wants to laugh to himself at the thought but also doesn’t want to disturb Lance.  Lance beats him to it anyway.

“So…” Lance’s voice floats out.  Keith’s eyes are closed and his limbs feel relaxed and lazy.  “Shiro said you were boyfriends back at the Garrison? Before Kerberos? That explains a lot, you know.”

Keith doesn’t bother to open his eyes.

“Yeah? How so?” he asks. He sounds bored, mildly hostile since at the subject matter, his awareness has snapped back into his body and he’s lying there suddenly tense. He’s not sure where Lance is going to go with this but he’s dreading it already.

“Well, your scores,” Lance replies conversationally.  “Must have helped to have been boning an instructor.”

Keith grits his teeth and his nostrils flare. If Lance was looking for a way to kill his good vibes, he certainly found it.  “We were not _boning_ ,” Keith grinds out. _“_ He wasn’t _my_ instructor anyway. Or yours.”

“Still,” Lance says dismissively. He doesn’t seem to realise how on edge Keith has become.  “Potato, patatta.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

A few beats pass and Keith isn’t stupid to think that Lance is done with the subject.  He inwardly braces himself for the follow up and prays that he can keep his cool.

“What happened anyway?” Lance asks quietly after a moment. 

The tone in Lance’s voice is different this time. Keith can tell this is a serious question and when he opens his eyes, Lance is sitting up, his little round eye disks discarded, and he’s watching Keith with a hooded gaze. 

Keith briefly considers trying to deflect the question away with another bout of snark but Lance can be like a dog with a bone. He’s likely to keep sniffing around until he gets the information he wants.  Maybe not today, but eventually. Besides, what would be the point in trying to keep it a secret? It’s all in the past and by the end of today, it wouldn’t matter anyway.

“He… he broke up with me,” Keith says simply. 

Then he shrugs as though it meant nothing but at that point of time he thought it might very well have killed him.  It had been about a week out from the launch and Keith could feel their incoming separation looming, he could feel Shiro pulling away from him not just emotionally, but physically.  He knew what was coming, he just didn’t want to admit it and by trying to hold onto it tighter, it had slipped away even further.

It was under the shadow of the shuttle looming high above them that Shiro had placed his hand on his shoulder and explained that he didn’t want Keith to wait for him.  That he didn’t want _Keith_. 

The memory still had the power to sting.   

The worst part was that he had _known_ Shiro’s feelings hadn’t changed. Not really.  Shiro was simply trying to do the right thing, to give Keith what he thought Keith needed in order to soar. 

He did it because he wanted Keith to have his freedom in case _Keith’s_ feelings changed – after all, Shiro was going to be gone for months, maybe even a year and all that time the world would still be going on without him.  By the time he returned, Keith was expected to graduate and be assigned missions of his own. There was no guarantee how long it would be before they saw each other again.  He bit his lip slightly as he thought about it.

“It was a few days before Kerberos mission.  We both knew he was going to be gone a long time… he didn’t think it was fair to make me wait for him.”

Like it would have stopped him anyway.

Keith finds himself bracing for a flippant remark when he realises just how much he’d inadvertently shared.  He must have been more relaxed than he thought.  He expected Lance to crack some kind of joke but instead he just looks a little sad. 

“And then the mission was a bust and we all thought they were dead. No wonder you went off the rails.”  Lance rolls back over and stares up at the ceiling. 

“You must have thought it all your Christmases came at once when they booted me,” Keith tries not to sound bitter. He’s not sure he’s succeeded.

It takes a few heartbeats for Lance to answer.  Enough that Keith turns to look at him. He feels bad when Lance’s usually bright eyes turn shuttered.

“I didn’t want to move to fighter class because you left,” he says quietly. “I wanted it on my own merit.”

Keith immediately feels chastised.  “Lance…. I’m sorry.”

Lance shrugs as though it was nothing. Keith supposed it was one of those things that didn’t really matter anymore.  Lance was Red’s paladin and pilot now.  And Keith was… Well, he wasn’t a pilot and not really a paladin anymore.

“Is that why it’s taken so long?”

Lance doesn’t need to specify, Keith recognizes what he means.  “Yeah, I…. well, you remember what it was like at the start. Barely time to breathe let alone dredge up old feelings.  And he was different. _I_ was different.”

“Well, you’re going to get there in the end,” Lance finally says cheerily. Then he closes his eyes and sighs dramatically.  Dreamily.  “I really hope one day I can find a girl that looks at me the way Shiro looks at you.”

Lance is such a romantic that Keith feels a swell of affection that chases away all the tension and he slips back into that same space of relaxation as before. Maybe it’s the face goop, or maybe Hunk slipped something into his breakfast but he’s feeling all kinds of fluff right now. And he’s feeling extra warm because Lance is right.

“Any girl would be lucky to have you, Lance.”

“Aw, Keith, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.  I think we’re having another bonding moment.”

Keith smirks wickedly.  He reaches out and fumbles for the bowl.  He scoops up a handful of face goop and flicks it in Lance’s direction. “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.” 

Lance groans, but he’s laughing too. “Annnd, you ruined it.”

\--

The video game manages to achieve what the movies don’t and Shiro finds himself completely relaxed and actually having a good time. He’s broken pretty much all of Lance’s high scores and he’s not far off cracking Pidge’s too.  Hunk is hooting in the background as Shiro advances another level and Pidge yells at the screen with the same kind of heated determination she usually reserves for cracking heads with Galra drones.

In this context, Shiro finds it absolutely hysterical and utterly endearing.

_Let them be kids, just for a little while longer._

They wrestle again for another round and this time he backs off, deliberately fumbling the controls to allow Pidge to advance ahead of him.  He should have realised Pidge would have been onto him and this time she shrieks blue murder about going easy on her.

His face starts to hurt from laughing.

There’s a soft tap at the door and Allura pokes her head in, trailed by Coran.  The mood immediately turns sombre and Shiro pushes the game controller away.  Pidge and Hunk both sit up and the screen flickers off behind them.

“Is it time?”

He suddenly feels a flutter in his belly and it takes him a moment to realise its nerves.  Strange that he can pilot the universes most powerful weapon, go toe to toe with a ten thousand year old evil emperor, survive in a gladiator ring against aliens three times his size but this… _this_ is what makes him nervous.

“Almost,” Allura says.  She’s changed into her more formal garb, a long gown and her hair flowing over her shoulders.  Her eyes are kind and bright and she looks beautiful – but after enduring hundreds of battles together, Shiro can read her nuances easily.  He directs his gaze to her.

“What is it?”

“Oh,” Allura says, her cheeks going slightly pink.  “It’s a little bit embarrassing and no serious but… well, it’s something that you should probably be aware of.”

“Yes,” Coran steps in.  “It seems that word of your impending nuptials has already reached even the farthest reaches of your fan clubs and messages have been coming in thick and fast to offer well wishes and congratulations.”

“Huh,” Shiro says with a smile.  “That’s kind of nice.”

“Yes, well,” Coran rubs the back of his neck. “The thing is, Keith wasn’t part of our Voltron show – well, he was, but… he was Allura.”

Shiro exchanges a glance with Pidge. “I’m not sure I follow.”

Allura’s face stains a darker pink.   “Well, that is, they think Keith is me.”

It takes a few seconds but then it clicks and Shiro realises.  “Oh, I see.  That…. That might be awkward.”

“Now I know we promised we wouldn’t use the wedding as a political platform but I do recommend that perhaps we show a kind of… highlight reel.  You know, to get the word out.”

Shiro frowns and an echo of his nightmare sounds in his mind.

_Your mate or your planet._

“We wore our helmets in all the shows. Pink is fairly close to red… Are you sure that a highlight reel is necessary?”

Coran blusters. “Well, it would certainly save any confusion down the track. I don’t like the thought of it putting a larger target on our backs than it needs to be.”

Pidge’s head snaps up at that and her eyes narrow.  “What do you mean by target?”

Allura spreads her hands.  “It is something that Kolivan mentioned.  He feels that the marriage will be a mistake and put Shiro and Keith in bigger danger.”

Pidge catches on instantly.  Hunk, not so much. “Wait… a target how?”

“Using one of them against the other.  It’s one thing to have a teammate in danger but often a spouse or a mate can impact rational thinking.”

“Huh,” Hunk says.  “I guess you’re right.  Aren’t we all in this hell hole now because of Zarkon and Hon- what was her name again?”

“Honerva,” Coran supplies quietly.

There’s a few long, agonizing moments that Shiro feels like the rug might be pulled out from under him at any moment.  It was just a dream, he tries to convince himself.  It has no bearing on today.

Shiro and Keith are not the same.

They wouldn’t fall to that temptation like Zarkon did… would they?

“The difference is, Shiro- you have us. All of us.  And we won’t let anything happen to you, or Keith.”

“Yeah!” Pidge jumps up then, and throws her arms around Shiro again.  So many hugs today, Shiro feels bolstered by each one.

“Thank you,” Shiro whispers, his voice hoarse.  It wasn’t taking much for his emotions to break through today.  Lord only knows how he’s going to get through the ceremony without embarrassing Keith and himself.  “Thank you, everyone.”

“Don’t thank us yet!” Coran says cheerfully. “Wait at least until you see this!”

He slips into the corridor then backs back into the room, wheeling something that looks like an Altean version of a cart.  On it, Shiro immediately spies his paladin armour, buffed and shined up to perfection.  There is something else too, a mass of dark material that the space mice chirp and nudge at with their tiny faces.

“What’s all this?” Shiro asks in surprise.

“This,” Coran says with a flourish, “Is the pièce de résistance– is that right? Is that the word? I had to look up some Earth dictionary for that. Peculiar language that one, though not quite as tricky to master as some of the Krellian dialects.”

He shoos the mice away and they scamper down the carts legs to divide themselves between Pidge and Allura.  Coran picks up Shiro’s armour and hands it to him. Then he reaches under the cart to a hidden shelf and pulls out another small package.  This one is shades of green, wrapped in a gauzy silvery veil.

“Number five, this one is for you.”

Pidge is surprised.  “For me?” she says as she takes it.  She exchanges a look with Allura, who jumps in to say “But only should you choose to.  No harm if it’s not your cup of tea.”

Pidge is staring down at the package, something that looks suspiciously like a tear glimmering in one eye.  “Th-thank you.”

“Now,” Allura straightens and it’s suddenly all business again.  “Let’s not keep our guests waiting any longer than we need to, shall we?”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ♫♫♫ Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get maaa-rrieed ♫♫♫
> 
> INSPIRED BY THIS BEAUTIFUL ART HERE: http://hyteriart.tumblr.com/post/168610131746/more-sheith-wedding-because-i-love-colours-and

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a fever when I wrote half of this. God, I hope I've done this scene justice. They deserve that much.
> 
> Also, this is basically what Pidge is wearing if you want to see: https://78.media.tumblr.com/d5566c2bc5c80375ed6df238e6028475/tumblr_p1prgna8cB1r2m2bko1_400.jpg

Sliding back into his paladin armour feels a bit like coming home - if his home was a place, and not a person.

He hasn’t had a reason to wear it for so long, his dark suit from the blades has long become all he needed.  But he misses it.  He misses the way it shifts and moves with him like a second skin, the v shaped strike of red across the white that marked him for what he was, a paladin of Voltron. Where his blade suit had him operating in the shadows, secretive and subversive, the blinding brightness of his paladin armour radiated hope wherever they went.

Most of all, he misses what it represents, not to the universe, not to Zarkon, but to him.  Maybe taking it off had been a subconscious way to pick at little more at his attachment to the team, back when he knew he wasn’t the one to lead them and all he could taste was failure and disappointment on his tongue. 

Back when he thought it would be better to leave them before they could leave _him._

He studies his reflection in the mirror as he traces the hard, protective lines that cover his arms, his chest with the bare tips of his fingers.  He’s left his gloves off because he needs his fingers free for the ceremony, ready for the moment that his bond with Shiro becomes tangible in the shape of a metal band wrapping around his finger.  A band he never plans to take off.  Each part of his suit is as shiny and as polished as the day it had been made… but with one new addition, something to mirror the solemn tone of the occasion and lend an air of formality to the proceedings.

Keith smooths his palm over the material that had been added to his suit, draping from his shoulders under a wide collar of soft feathers that tickle his cheeks if he turns just the right way. They’re blood red in colour and contrast vividly with his dark hair and pale skin. 

From the other side of the room, Lance lets out a low whistle.

“That cape is something else.  You look… you look a bit like King Alfor,” he says. “Very regal.”

Keith turns away from the mirror and the cape swirls around his ankles.  He likes the new look but he can’t shake the vague sensation that it seems a bit… much?  His cheeks flush a little.

“It’s okay?”

“Okay?” Lance snorts.  “Man, its freakin’ amazing.  As soon as the ceremony is over, I’m going to hit Coran up for one of those for myself.  The blue would match my eyes perfectly, don’t you think?”

Keith’s lips twist into a tight smile at that. He tries to ignore it but there suddenly seems to be a hoard of tiny winged creatures fluttering about in his stomach. “Speaking of Coran- where is he? I feel like we’ve been waiting a bit now.”

“Relax,” Lance grins at him.  He’s in his own armour, opting to keep things simple and griping that it was too hard to find a tux this far out in space anyway. The blue of his armour does indeed match his eyes though, probably a lot like the blue skies back home.  “It’s not like he can get married without you.”

“I just hate this waiting.”

“Why don’t you tell me your vows, to, you know, to practice?” Lance suggests easily with a shrug.  “You haven’t run them by anyone yet.”

“They’re private,” Keith says, realising the irony of not wanting to share them with Lance right now but prepared to say them in front of a room full of witnesses and probably half the galaxy to boot.  That would be different though, because he would be saying them to Shiro.  Only to him.

Shiro will be the first one to hear that promise and everything else will be just static.

Before he can say anything to that effect, the door slides open and Coran leaps into the room on pointed toes like some kind of hairy orange ballerina.  He’s got a slightly wild-eyed look about him that tells Keith he’s absolutely relishing the excitement of this event.

“Alright, cowboys, time to saddle up!”

“Coran, you haven’t been using those gross brain worms again, have you?” Lance demands.

“Indeed not, my young paladin. This is all Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe and nothing but!  Learned that lesson. Never trust an Unilu, that’s my new motto!”

Keith leans over to Lance. “Brain worms?!” he whispers.  He’s vaguely horrified at the thought.

Lance looks at him and rolls his eyes.  “Long story,” he answers. Then his expression turns sly.  “Save it for Shiro and your honeymoon.”

Keith wants to wrinkle his nose at that.  They hadn’t planned a honeymoon and even if they did, brain worms were _not_ a subject Keith thought would be worth talking about.  He shrugs to himself as Coran spins on his heel and marches out through the doorway and into the corridor.  Lance and Keith trail after him and that hoard in his stomach gets angrier.

He’s not even listening to anything Lance is saying, just anticipating the moment he will need to step into the spotlight when it hits him.  He halts so abruptly the cloak tangles against his legs.

“Wait! Have you… you’ve got the rings, right?”

Lance opens his mouth wide in horror and pats down his armour dramatically before pulling out the ring box and dangling it in front of Keith’s face.  “Give me a little credit, would you? Haven’t I proved by now how seriously I take my best man duties?”

“Ugh, okay,” Keith grunts.  He doesn’t want to admit how hard the hoard is thundering in his gut right now but Lance seems to guess anyway.

“Hey, man. It’s okay to be nervous.  Doesn’t mean you love him any less, or that you want this any less.”

“I know,” Keith mutters.  He briefly thought about denying his nerves but he knew Lance wouldn’t buy it. His heart thunders a little harder, enough that a small part of Keith wants to reach into his own chest to snatch it and yell at it to shut the quiznack up.  It’s almost so loud he can’t hear himself think.

Up ahead, the wide doors to the grand ballroom loom large and it’s a struggle for Keith to swallow. His mouth is suddenly dry and his hands feel clammy, his skin feels like it’s blushing hot and cold under his armour. 

As they approach, the huge doors open silently and reveal what’s on the other side.

“Alright, places everyone, places!”  Coran scoots through, rapidly pushing out quiet instructions as Lance and Keith reach the end of the aisle.

Keith has to suck in a trembling breath at what he sees. The ballroom is unrecognisable, bright and light, the with the walls washed with scenes from that look suspiciously like Earth, there’s even a blue sky overhead that hits Keith in the gut but not nearly as much as the sea of faces turned to and watching them carefully.

Oh. That’s… that’s a lot of… aliens.  The hoard in his gut thrashes around a little harder.

The crowd hushes as the ripple washes over them that the proceedings were about to begin.  Keith feels a little dizzy but before he has a chance to indulge the sensation, Lance is at his side. 

“You okay?” he asks through a gritted, fake smile.  He’s already waving and shooting his finger guns at the crowd, basking in their adoration.

“No? Yes… I think so,” Keith finally gets out.  “I guess this is it.”

Lance abandons his fans to turn to Keith.  He sombrely takes Keith’s hand and they shake before Lance draws him quickly into a hug.  When he steps back, his grin is wide and infectious.  “Go get your man, buddy.”

Lance jerks his head towards the doorway and Keith draws in a deep breath, concentrating on the way it fills his lungs and blows out.  Somewhere on the other side of that room, Shiro would be doing the same, Keith just had to walk this gauntlet to get to him.

It’s okay. He can do this.  He’s had to do worse.

He draws his shoulders back, straightening up and taking the long strides he needs to reach the centre of the room where Allura waits at the foot of a small circular platform that rises up over the crowd.

He forces himself to move, to drag one foot after the other under the weight of all those eyes watching him.  He sees familiar faces, more than he expected to but there’s quite a few missing too and he tries not to let the little slither of guilt tie itself too tightly around his throat. 

Shiro steps into view and he’s breathtaking and then Keith isn’t thinking about them anymore.

Shiro’s own paladin armour sports a matching cape like Keith’s and it billows softly around him, deep midnight hued feathers brushing his neck. His hands rest by his side and Keith dimly registers Lance’s small intake of breath as he briefly notices Pidge in a flowing pantsuit and boots, her glasses discarded, jewellery around her neck and her bayard on her hip as she waits at Shiro’s side.  His _best girl_ Shiro had called her.

But once his eyes lock onto Shiro, there may as well be no one else in the room.  He doesn’t realise his steps have faltered until Shiro moves forwards to meet him halfway.  Shiro’s smiling at Keith, his gunmetal grey eyes bright and soft and when he takes Keith’s hand Keith has to suck in a deep breath and his eyes prick with so much emotion he feels like he’s going to drown in a maelstrom of warmth and happiness.

It wouldn’t be a bad way to go.

“Glad you made it,” Shiro jokes softly, leaning in and whispering close to Keith’s ear for only him to hear. Keith can’t help but let a tiny, shaky laugh escape. Their bare fingers twine together and he steps closer. 

“Nothing could have stopped me,” he replies. He can’t help the huskiness in his voice. “Not even Lance and a face full of goop.”

Shiro’s eyebrow raises at that and he chuckles quietly. “Okay, you’ll have to explain that one to me later.”

He’s aware then of a small platform starting to rise in front of them.  Resplendent in her Altean gown, Allura brushes past them with a smile to climb the small row of stairs.  She raises her hands and welcomes all their guests, she speaks briefly about the fight against the empire and there is a moment of silence to honour the fallen, and then she steps down.

Keith realises it’s their moment and he falters.  Shiro fingers squeeze against his palm.“I love you,” he whispers, barely loud enough to be heard but Keith has memorized the shapes Shiro’s mouth makes when he says it so even if he can’t hear it, he knows exactly what he’s saying. He bites the inside of his cheek as Shiro tugs his hand and they walk up the stairs together until it’s just the two of them on the circular platform above a thousand eyes watching them. 

The weight of those eyes makes Keith feel unsteady but he locks his gaze with Shiro.  There’s a faint buzz of static and then the world around them shifts and shimmers, the brightness of the room fading down to a glowy dark twilight.  He can still see and feel the crowd and their friends around them, but it’s muted.  He has the dizzying sensation of being trapped between two worlds, not quite here and not quite there and he grips Shiro’s hands a little tighter to anchor him.

“It’s Black,” he hears Shiro murmur and Keith realises this is Shiro’s lion sensing their unease with the audience and folding herself protectively around them.  There’s no strange exclamations from the crowd so it seems to only affect them. 

With the sensory blackout that Black provides them with, Keith finds the anxious flutter in his stomach disappears.  He forgets everything else, everything but the loving gaze Shiro has turned on him and he realises that this is it.  This is the moment he’s been waiting for since he first laid eyes on Shiro all those years ago.

This is the part he knows, and he grips Shiro’s hands a little tighter and looks up at him from under his long hair. It makes him feel dizzy again, but this isn’t from straddling two worlds.  He’s dizzy with all the emotions finally screaming out of that place inside of him he had locked away for so long.  All the unshackled love and devotion and even a little bit of fear flood out.  Shiro’s eyes are shining, calling him like a siren and he braces himself. 

“Takashi,” he starts but his voice is too husky and his throat too closed from barely held back tears that it comes out as barely a hoarse croak.  He takes a breath and blinks then starts again.

“Takashi, before these witnesses, I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not, to agree to disagree and to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.”

Keith had expected his voice to tremble, to shake with the emotion inside him that not even Black’s protection could calm and it did, to start.  But then his voice rang out clear and bright and in his mind’s eye, their history replayed for him – meeting at the garrison, their first shared meal, the first kiss, the first night spent together. The first heartbreak. 

Then he’s slipping a wedding band onto Shiro’s finger.

It’s a perfect fit, but he’d known that it would be.

\--

There’s a tiny part of Shiro’s mind that wonders if maybe he had died in that Galra fighter chasing after Voltron because this moment, this was too perfect to be real.

Keith’s vows touch something inside of him, spreading through his soul and marking him even as Keith slips the ring onto his finger.  He has to blink, the emotions inside him soaring wildly from disbelief, to joy, to gratitude.  For all that had gone wrong in his life, the universe still deigned to give him this, the love of a fighter to pull him back from the brink when he worried he might not be able to go on.

“Keith,” he says, and his breath hitches.  It’s his turn now, his turn to bind Keith to him with a promise forged from the very essence of him.  No matter what happens after this moment, this will never change. He looks up and the love in Keith’s indigo eyes makes him tumble into the stars.  “Before these witnesses, I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. And to always know in the deepest part of my soul that no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will _always_ find our way back to each other.”

At that last part, Keith’s chest heaves in a half-broken sob but then Shiro is smoothing the wedding band onto his finger and Keith’s hand clenches and he’s pulling Shiro close and turning his face into Shiro’s shoulder. With his other hand, Shiro runs his fingers over Keith’s hair, through the strands and over his shoulder and then the thin veil that Black had wrapped around them fades away and they are once again amongst their friends.  Shiro can see the rest of the paladins surrounding the base of the low platform.  Hunk has big happy tears staining his cheeks and is squeezing Matt into a smothering hug, and Pidge and Allura are smiling.  Lance is mouthing something that looks a lot like _kiss him!_ which makes Shiro laugh and shift to capture Keith’s chin in his hands.

“Is this the part where you kiss me?” Keith murmurs. His eyes hare half closed but he’s smiling.  Shiro doesn’t wait a moment longer.  As he tilts Keith’s head upwards, his ring catches the light and then he’s leaning down to kiss his new husband with the softest of kisses.

No matter what comes next, or what the future holds, this is theirs and theirs alone. Together they will chase the starlight in the space between galaxies.

\--

Their first kiss as husbands is gentle, but then Shiro draws him closer, cups the back of his head and kisses him, sliding the softness of his lips over Keith’s slow and sweet until Keith’s knees are ready to buckle.  He runs his hands up Shiro’s chest plate to grab at his shoulders as he finds himself tilting his head just enough to deepen the kiss.  Shiro indulges him for a tick then he’s pulling back and the cheers and applause are flooding his senses and sending his cheeks flaming enough to rival a star.

When they finally disengage, Keith sees a sea of smiling faces, shining with warmth and something that looks a little bit like pride.  It startles him to realise that these people love him, after spending his life alone, he now had a family that cared for him, that would notice if he was gone.  It chokes him up a little.

Shiro squeezes his hand and pulls him in for another kiss but he keeps it quick and chaste. Keith wants to demand more but he doesn’t trust his voice, the emotion still sitting heavily on his chest and then Shiro is hoisting him up bridal style. He laughs breathlessly but then he sees the expression in Shiro’s eyes and he is lost.

He’s surprised and mildly embarrassed when another cheer goes up and Shiro sneaks yet another kiss.  This time Keith doesn’t let him go so easily and as they break apart, a flutter of pinkish purple holographic Altean flowers drift down from the ceiling.  The brush over them and the crowd for a moment before fading away.  Shiro is looking at him so proudly Keith feels an odd little punch in his gut, like he’s some imposter and all this love and affection isn’t really for him. 

It makes him cling a little tighter to Shiro before Shiro lowers him back to the ground and they walk down the small stairs hand in hand and into the arms of their friends. He can barely catch his breath before he’s smothered in hugs and well wishes and he loses contact with Shiro in the crush.  All around him are words of genuine fondness and love that he almost chokes on his own tongue trying to ride the emotions long enough not to burst into tears.  Before long, the crowd eases and he spies Shiro once again.  Hunk steps in to intercept another well-wisher and Keith flashes him a grateful smile as he finally moves back to Shiro’s side. 

Perhaps it was the sea of warmth that made Shiro’s tension suddenly so noticeable but Keith picks up on it immediately.  He slips his hand into Shiro’s and follows Shiro’s gaze across the room. 

Kolivan had come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The vows are ones a friend used from her wedding, which actually turned out to be from the movie The Vow. They were too perfect for our boys, I just had to use them. 
> 
> PLSPLSPLS feel free to come yell with me about these boys on my tumblr flashedarrow.tumblr.com


	14. Chapter 14

Shiro is filled with apprehension when he notices the Galra rebel leader across the room.  Unlike everyone else, he wasn’t smiling or caught up in the general buzz of the event.  If anything, his harsh lips are pursed into a frown and his glowing eyes seem to be radiating disapproval.  It makes something inside him bristle and Keith’s hand slipping into his is the only thing that stops him from marching across the hall.

“I hope he’s here as a friend,” Shiro finally murmurs.  But Keith doesn’t respond.  Even his hand slips away from Shiro’s after a few heartbeats and the distance between them makes Shiro’s stomach drop even as he berates himself for his own insecurities. Didn’t Keith just prove to him that _he_ meant more than the Blades?

He’s spared the decision of whether to approach by Kolivan breaking through the crowd of revellers.  They unconsciously part for him, the aura of dark violence around him radiating off him in waves.  When he comes to a halt in front of the new husbands, Shiro tries to school his features into something less hostile.  He’s sure he fails.

“I take it you’re not here for well wishes,” Shiro finally says into the silence that stretches between them.

Kolivan completely ignores him, dismissing him with a cold flick of his eyes as he turns to Keith.  “You’ve put a target on his back. The Empire will know how to break you now.  They will know what you value most.”

Keith stiffens under Kolivan’s harsh words and Shiro knows that Kolivan has just hit on Keith’s biggest fear, the one thing that could unravel this entire day.  He knows, because it’s his own biggest fear too. It dredges up the horrifying dream from the night before and the memory of it beat against his skull.  He’s suddenly livid.  His fists clench as he takes an aggressive step forward, putting himself between Keith and Kolivan and forcing the Galra rebel to look at him. The anger simmering under his skin breaks through, surging through his weakened internal barriers and overtaking the happy buzz. 

“Isn’t it enough that the Galra empire has stolen the lives of countless millions and destroyed entire worlds that we have to let him dictate out of fear how we live our lives?

There’s a distinct pause and a few of the guests cast a curious glance in their direction. 

“Shiro’s right,” Keith says, glancing from Kolivan then up to Shiro’s face.  The fierceness that Shiro loves in Keith so much is written across his expression in stark relief. His eyes are sparking and his mouth is hard. Keith would fight for them just as much as he would fight for the universe, and it sends a surge of pride through him. 

Kolivan says nothing for a moment, his gaze flicking from one paladin to another. “Perhaps you are right,” he says eventually and Shiro can’t help how his eyes go wide in surprise.  Of all the things he expected Kolivan to say, he didn’t expect this. Before his eyes, the Galra rebel softened. It confused him, stealing the wind from his sails and just as suddenly as it erupted, the anger faded away.  He turns away from Kolivan to look down at Keith but Keith is studying Kolivan with narrowed eyes, as though trying to work out where the Galra’s next attack would come from.  It had always made Shiro frustrated to see how ruthless the Blade could be in their methods… and for what? They were fighting the empire but at what cost?

Shiro still hadn’t forgiven them for the stunt they pulled with Keith’s blade and the trials of Marmora.

“I love Shiro, and Shiro loves me. We’ve made a promise to love each other for the rest of our lives, however long that may be. It won’t stop us fighting Zarkon.  It won’t make us weaker-“  Keith looks up at Shiro then and Shiro is instantly lost in the deep violet depths of emotion churning there.  “If anything, it makes us stronger.”

The quiet conviction in Keith’s voice settles into Shiro’s heart.

“Yes,” Shiro agrees and after another silent moment, Kolivan nods once then spins on his heel.  When he finally disappears back into the crowd, Shiro breathes out a sigh he hadn’t realised he had been holding.

\--

Allura and Coran had done their thorough best to interrogate each of the paladins regarding Earth wedding customs in an attempt to make them feel more at home.  Allura pestered Pidge about attire, Hunk about food and Lance… well, she had sent Coran to talk to Lance lest the new red paladin got any ideas.

She’s aware of him now, hovering in the background as she smiles and chats diplomatically with their guests. It’s been so long now that her face is starting to feel tired and her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes but she still plays her part. Ever the diplomat. She hopes her father would be proud of her and her heart aches a little at the loss of him.  It didn’t matter how many deca-phoebs pass, the wound would always be deep and sharp around the edges.

She just managed to extradite herself from an unusually chatty Taujeerian when Lance finally approaches her. He’s tapping his thumb against his thigh nervously and not quite meeting her eye. 

“Lance? Are you alright?”

He clears his throat and then he bows low with a flourish. “Princess, may I have this dance?”

Allura glances around the decorated ballroom and the press of guests around them in confusion.  “But… but there is no music.” 

Lance freezes mid rise then scowls.  He straightens up and glares over his shoulder. “Nice one, Hunk, you messed up my game!”

Pidge scoots past, Beezer zipping around her and she’s giggling in delight. “I think you managed that one on your own, lover boy,” she cackles. 

Lance scowls after her but before he can say anything more, music does indeed begin to float down.  It’s nothing that Lance is familiar with – Allura can guess that just by the strange look on his face but it mustn’t sound too unlike home because he turns back to her and holds out his hand again.  This time, he abandons all pretences and he’s just… Lance.

“Would… would you like to dance, Allura?” he finally asks.  His eyes are downcast, as though he isn’t expecting a positive response and it’s not lost on her that he’s discarded her title in favour of her birthname.

She smiles to herself then. There was no doubting that she much preferred this sweet, slightly vulnerable Lance to the lover boy persona he often trotted around (although she wasn’t sure she should let him know as much). A few more ticks pass and then she reaches out and places her hand in his.  His fingers are long and warm and her hand fits in his surprisingly well. He looks up then, genuinely startled.

“I’d love to, Lance,” she says softly and she is rewarded by Lance immediately gasping her and twirling her onto the dance floor.  The suddenness of the move has her laughing in delight as they spin and laugh together.  Other guests start to follow their lead and for the first time in a long time, Allura feels like she might one day find love in her life too.

\--

Pidge rolls her eyes at her brother.  He’s glaring so hard at Lance and Allura spinning on the dance floor it’s a wonder he’s not shooting lasers from his eyes.  It’s hard to admit but… she’s trying not to stare at them too but a niggling part of her is almost wistful.  Matt’s expression abruptly goes from jealous to sly and suddenly Pidge finds herself twirled out into the crowd.  She yelps in surprise and tries to keep her footing.  The flowy material of her new outfit that hangs from her hips tries to tangle around her legs.

“What are you doing?” she demands irritably but Matt is staring so intently right over the top of her head (presumably at Lance) that he doesn’t answer.  She fights down the urge to stomp on his foot.

He shuffles them closer to the other couple and with a wink at Pidge, he makes a grand display of bumping into Lance and Allura where he wastes no time seizing the princesses’ hand and twirling her away and out of reach of her previous partner. Lance is left there looking stunned and Pidge sighs.  She nudges Lance and then tugs on his sleeve when he’s slow to move.  “Come on,” she says resignedly.  “We might as well get out of everyone’s way.”

She takes a few steps forward then realises that Lance isn’t following her.  She pauses and glances over her shoulder. “Are you coming?”

“What’s the rush?”

Lance holds out a hand to her then and there’s an expression in his eyes she’s never seen before. She’s not much of a dancer, and frankly what she just saw of Lance she wasn’t sure he was either but… it’s a party so she shrugs and she takes his hand.  Without a word, he’s leading her in some kind of alien waltz and she yelps as she stumbles.  “Don’t step on me!”

Lance pauses and gives her a look.  Oh no, she thinks.  It’s one of _those_ looks.  She’s never been on the receiving end of one of those looks before but then she blinks and it’s gone. 

\--

They snatch a spare moment away from the buzz of the crowd, hiding behind some enormous cake Hunk had somehow found the time to create. Keith all but purrs when Shiro curls an arm around his shoulders and brushes his lips against his temple. He’s about to reach up to pull Shiro in closer when a dark blur moves over Shiro’s shoulder.

“What the-“

He almost yelps in surprise when Slav suddenly dangles from a nook in the wall directly over the cake and platters of food.  He’s hanging by this tail and his multiple hands are moving at a pace that Keith can barely follow.  Shiro mutters something unintelligible but distinctly irritated under his breath as Slav points at them with one spare hand.

“In nine two-point seven percent of realities, you would be engaged or already married,” he’s saying.  Another hand scoops up something that looks oddly like a cupcake. “But in eighty nine percent of instances you never need experience disunity and- ” Slav pauses then squints down at his wrist which is flashing a small blue light. “Oh dear.  Oh dear,” says worriedly and the cupcake vanishes.

Shiro straightens. “What is it, Slav?”

Slav scampers up the wall then drops to his feet and pulls himself upright.  Three out of his four pairs of hands fold over themselves.  “I’m detecting an anomalous frequency modulation in the axionic reflection compressor. I must speak with Coran! In zero point one three realities, it could mean an entire reboot of the castle-“ and then he disappears, leaving Keith blinking in confusion.

“What… What was that?”

Shiro’s arm tightens around his waist and Keith can feel him suck in a deep breath and release it through his nose.  Then Shiro mutters, “Not our circus, not our monkeys. Not tonight.”

Keith decides to put the entire incident with Slav out of his mind and turns to his new husband instead.  They’ve had hardly any time alone together since the ceremony and he’s not about to waste these few short minutes thinking about how weird Slav is. Shiro is clearly on the same wavelength.

“I don’t think we’ve ever talked about what we’ll do after the war,” Shiro muses then.  “Guess that’s something we should have done before tying the knot, huh?” 

Keith grins at him. “Retire to the country side with some goats and a couple of cats.”

“Wait,” Shiro laughs. “Goats?”

Keith wrinkles his nose.  A mental image of a group of goats standing between him and his hoverbike comes unbidden into his mind. “Okay, so that was a bad choice, didn’t really think that one through,” and Shiro laughs again. 

He’s beautiful, Keith thinks then, and he can’t stop himself from staring.  The tight lines around Shiro’s lips have eased, the sparkle in his eyes is the brightest he’s seen it in a long time.  And his mouth looks like it is just desperate to be kissed.

And Keith is now _married_ to this man. Bless his lucky stars.

He watches as Shiro lifts an eyebrow after a moment and Keith flushes when he realises that he’s staring like a love-struck idiot… which he is, but that’s beside the point. 

“What?” Shiro says mildly.

“I… I think you’ve smiled more in the past few hours than…”

Keith trails off absently. He thinks about Kerberos, the small amounts Shiro told him about the arena and the experimentations by the druids, his escape and the second journey back to them.  He wants to kick himself when he realises Shiro is thinking about it too.  “Shiro, I-“

“I love you,” Shiro says it fiercely, as though just those words could chase the thoughts away. And they do… to a point.  “I’m not going to let the empire steal anything more from us. Whatever time we have left… we make it count.”

Keith’s only response is to reach up to curl his fingers around the back of Shiro’s neck. He tugs him down for a kiss, not caring if they have an audience or not. Shiro hums in appreciation at the back of his throat and Keith is almost surprised at how easy and comfortable it is now.  Like they have already been married for years instead of mere hours. 

For a few more long moments, they ignore the cacophony of chatter from the crowd and just enjoy resting together.  Keith’s mind wanders back over the ceremony, his insides curling in a little thrill every time he remembers the words Shiro said to him as he slipped the ring onto his finger. 

“What about your family?” Shiro asks softly, long enough after that Keith has to consciously bring his mind back to their earlier conversation.  It doesn’t take much, he knows what Shiro means.  He’s talking about his Galra side.  His mom.  Once Keith was desperate enough to find all he could about his heritage he was ready to die trying but… he’s not so hungry for it.  He’s more concerned he won’t like what he finds.

Besides, Shiro is his family now. It’s binding and the only thing he ever needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slav's technobabble courtesy of http://www.scifiideas.com/technobabble-generator/


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to Perfect by Ed Sheeran about 8 million times thinking about this damn wedding

Shiro expects their first dance to be kind of awkward.

It wasn’t even something that he had even thought about before now but as the lights dim and washes the castles ballroom room in hues of blue and purple, there’s a flutter in his stomach.  He ignores it and takes his new husband’s hand and then the crowd parts to allow them space. He concentrates on the warmth of Keith’s palm against his, but even the feedback from the Galra tech of his bionic arm rapidly cataloguing textures and heartrates and heat isn’t enough to distract him from the moment Keith looks up at him from under lowered lashes.  He looks a little bit shy and Shiro can see him trying to hold back from worrying his lip with his teeth.  This kind of literal spotlight on them isn’t something Keith was ever comfortable with, even back in their Garrison days he’d always hold back from his full potential because he didn’t want the attention that came with it.

Shiro understood that. He himself had been lauded as the Golden Boy of the program and it changed the way people treated him.  It could be lonely at the top.

“Focus on me,” he whispers and Keith locks eyes with him.  There’s so much there in those dark pools, and all of it for him.

He gently tugs Keith closer and slides one hand around to the small of his back and twines their fingers together with the other.  The tension dwindles out of them when the music starts and then Keith leans in, tucking his head under Shiro’s chin and tightening his grip with his fingers.

They start to sway together and any thought of the onlookers fade away.  He rests his cheek against the soft dark strands of Keith’s head and Shiro closes his eyes.  It’s not awkward at all and he can almost imagine it’s just the two of them in the desert once again.

\--

Hunk is immensely proud of the spread of food he’s laid out.  There is everything he could think of, from sweet to savoury, to alien favourites and Lance’s particular tastes (although he wasn’t going to even attempt the garlic knots.  Never mess with a mamas’ favourite!).  He is proud of his team too.  Proud that Keith and Shiro finally decided to put them all out of their misery and finally admit they loved each other a little bit more than the rest of the team.  It’s a relief to have it out in the open because it turned out they were absolutely crap at hiding it.  There had been occasions that they needed to be in each other’s heads to work with Voltron and it always left Hunk vaguely disconcerted when faint impressions crossed over and Hunk was suddenly wondering if HE was in love with Shiro, or was that just him getting his wires crossed.

He’d mentioned it to Pidge and Lance once, to see if they suspected anything too.  Pidge had looked alarmed at the thought of any of her thoughts and mental images being seen by the others (Hunk learned quickly to stay in his own lane after those few initial training sessions) and Lance just looked completely confused and totally oblivious.

“Who did the who to what now?”

Hunk had never backtracked anything so fast before in his life.

Hunk finds Shay in a shadowed corner.  It’s sometimes hard to read the emotion on her face, it’s not as expressive as a human but he thinks he has a pretty good idea of what has drawn her here.  He steps into the darkness beside her.

“Guess it can be kind of overwhelming, huh?”

“Yes,” Shay says and her voice sounds deep and forlorn.  Hunk’s heart goes out to her.  He misses home, he wishes he could go back… and maybe one day he will, but right now it’s not and home suddenly feels like a long, long way away.

He regards Shay’s profile in the dim light.  “You know,” he says slowly, an idea forming.  “I don’t think this party is going to go much longer and my job is done.  They won’t miss us if you feel like taking a ride in the yellow lion and going back home to the Balmera.”

Shay gasps quietly as she turns to him.  There was no mistaking the expression on her face now.  He saw something similar that morning they watched the sun rise.  Hope.  Definitely hope.  “You would do that?”

“Sure.  All this lovey dovey stuff is getting a bit much anyway.”  He holds out an arm and she places her hand on it.  It’s heavy and smooth and just a little bit colder than a human and he smiles at her.  “Let’s go.”

\--

Lance finds himself feeling strangely uncomfortable when the entire room hushes and then Shiro and Keith are curled around each other swaying.  He had thought that being the centre of attention and a wedding would give him plenty of fodder to rile up Keith but he got one glance at the way Shiro and Keith were looking at each other and he felt oddly flat.

They’d all known for a long time there was something going on between the two of them, the fact they had a deep history.  Remnants of whatever they had leaked over during the training missions, just faint, uncomfortable echoes but Lance was sure they’d all felt it at some point.  Not that he was willing to admit it.

He turns away, searching through the crowd for any other familiar faces but it feels like his whole team has scattered to the winds. Even Nyma and Rolo had already said their goodbyes and disappeared into the stars.

He finally spies Pidge up on one of the balconies and he wastes no time joining her.  She’s sitting cross legged on the floor, peeping through the gaps in the balustrades as she watches Shiro and Keith sway.  It’s almost reverent how quiet the music is, how soft the voices of the various guests are, as though they all understand the importance of the moment and no one is brave enough to break the spell that’s been woven over them.

Lance approaches quietly and slides down to the floor beside her, folding his long legs underneath him. It’s a bit like that last night at the garrison before everything went to hell.

“Have you seen Hunk?” Lance asks her and she shrugs. Her chin is propped in her hand and her eyes seem to be kind of misty. It was a little strange to see her out of her usual clothes and without her glasses.  She looked like Pidge but also….not. 

“He took the yellow lion to take Shay home.  I don’t think she was comfortable being away from the Balmera.”

“I’m surprised she came at all, to be honest.”

“Yeah, well the Princess can be persuasive when she wants to be.”

“Which is always.”  They look at each other and snicker.

A few more moments pass and then music sounds like its wrapping and coming to an end.  Lance watches distantly as Shiro and Keith blink then chuckle as though waking from a deep sleep.  Shiro laughs at something Keith says and then he’s brushing his lips over Keith’s temple and they just look so-

It’s not even happy, Lance thinks.  It’s beyond that.  Content, maybe? Like they can finally relax and be what the stars wanted them to be all along.  He can see it in the way they move, there’s no more hesitation, no more holding back between them.  Just an innate confidence and security that they belong together.

Lance is nothing if not a romantic at heart.  But sometimes, he’s a realist too.

“Do you think it will change things?” Lance ask quietly.  Pidge looks sideways at him and he jerks his chin towards the new husbands down below.  She shrugs and goes to fiddle with her glasses only to realise she's not wearing them.  Her hand drops to her lap instead.

“I don’t think so… at least not in a bad way.  I’m just glad we can all stop tip-toeing around the issue and get back to fighting Zarkon.”

“And looking for your dad.”

Pidge looks surprised by that, almost as though she didn’t expect him to remember.  Lance can’t be sure if he’s mildly offended by that.  What did she take him for? Okay, he’s a little offended but he shrugs it off like it’s nothing.  “What, did you think I would forget?”

“What? No… of course not.  I just….” Pidge sighs and looks away.  He realises she’s turned her attention back to the ballroom below, to the corner where her brother is talking to Allura with hearts in his eyes.  Lance narrows his gaze and tries to summon up the jealousy but it doesn’t eventuate.  Huh.  That was interesting.  He turns back to Pidge.

“Hey, we’ll find him. Shiro won’t let us stop looking. Even if he is all loved up with Keith right now.”  Lance pulls a face as he says the last part.

“I know,” Pidge says and she pulls her knees up to rest her chin on them.  Lance pauses for a moment, disconcerted to see Pidge so down.  He can’t imagine what she must be going through worrying about her family. Sure, she got her brother back (miracles of miracles that.  Space is huge, Lance is still in awe of her tenacity and intelligence to find her sibling across multiple galaxies with nothing but a hope and a prayer) but not knowing where her dad was… that’s got to be killing her. At least Lance knows all his family are safe back on Earth. 

And they’ll stay safe, because Lance is a paladin of Voltron and they’re going to kick Zarkon to the curb and that’s the truth in every reality.

He finally nudges Pidge with his elbow, almost a little too hard because it knocks her off balance and she retaliates by thumping hard him in the leg. “Ow!” he gripes but there’s no rancour to it.  He glances back over to Allura and Matt and frowns. 

Nope.  Not going there. 

“Want go play some video games?” he says instead.

Pidge lights up at that. “Yes!” she says excitedly. “Can you believe Shiro already beat our high score?”

“Wait, WHAT.  He’s only played it once?!”

“I KNOW!”  Pidge exclaims.  She’s part horrified and part impressed.  Lance is neither.

“That’s so rude,” Lance whines. “Is there anything that guy isn’t good at?”

Pidge starts to relay the events of her gaming session with Shiro earlier as they stand and walk away.  Lance forgets all about the party.

-


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wedding night boom chicka bow wow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this chapter is NSFW so skip if not really your thing :) (I have to admit, this is my fav chapter out of all of them though. NO GUESSES WHY)

Shiro realises the exact moment that the reception starts to wear on Keith because it’s the same moment when he’s decided he’s had enough too. 

Keith leans against him heavily, his breath hot on his neck and his hands running over him. It’s a surprisingly graphic PDA from Keith but Shiro figures if it’s ever going to happen, it would be today.  He tells himself to enjoy it while he can and even returns it with his hands slipping from Keith’s hips to land firmly on his ass.

The new additions to their suits turn out to be more than just ornamental. 

“I’m tired,” Keith says eventually and Shiro agrees. He’d tried not to let himself think about it all day but suddenly the thought of getting Keith alone in their suite is all he can think about. 

“Guess we should at least say our goodbyes,” Keith says regretfully and it takes them almost a full twenty minutes to say their farewells and manoeuvre through the crowd of merrily revelling well-wishers.  Once they slip into the hallway, Shiro hauls Keith back up into his arms and carries him bridal style to their door.  Keith is laughing against his shoulder as he hooks his arms around Shiro’s neck.  

“Take me to bed,” his new husband whispers then he kisses him and Shiro has never wanted to follow a command more.

-

The door closes behind Shiro, blocking out the sounds of the party still going throughout the castle.  They’re instantly surrounded by silence and Keith feels the flutter of nerves in his belly.  He doesn’t understand why.  This is Shiro he’s with. Shiro… Shiro who’s looking at him now with eyes so soft and full of heat and something else Keith had never recognized for what it was before. 

He had been such a fool.

Shiro steps closer and the material of his cape brushes against the floor. The expression in his eyes changes slightly.

“Keith?” he says questioningly.  Keith doesn’t realise he’s become frozen to the spot almost like a deer in headlights.  They had been shuffled around, poked and prodded all day, they’d bared their souls and then there was the party- there hadn’t been a real chance to breathe until now. 

That’s when it hits him.  _Really_ hits him.

Shiro was his, and he was Shiro’s.  Nothing in the universe, whatever happens in the future - nothing could or would ever change that.  Keith feels something shift and settle inside of him.  It reaches down to the deepest parts of his being, solidifying and spreading outwards in waves of energy.  A new kind of clarity forms and the last remnants of the walls he’d spent years upon years building shatter and blow away on a cloud of dust. 

Shiro looks worried now.  “Keith,” he says again stepping closer.  He pulls Keith close to him and Keith goes with a small noise that sounds suspiciously like a sob.  Shiro’s hand rests on the back of his neck, tangling in his hair, stroking his skin gently until Keith manages to gather himself and pull back enough to stare up at Shiro.

“Sorry, I just…”

Shiro’s smile is soft.  Radiant.  It’s the one he reserves only for Keith.  “I know, I get it.  It’s… it’s kind of overwhelming.”

“Yeah,” Keith’s breath escapes him with a slight shudder.  It’s overwhelming, but it’s everything and for a few beats, he stands there and basks in the moment.  “I didn’t want to let myself imagine this,” he says eventually. He holds up one hand and his wedding band glints in the dim lighting of their bedroom.

“Now you don’t have to, it just is.”

Shiro moves his hand to cup Keith’s jaw.  “I love you,” he murmurs. Shiro’s thumb rubs gently against the softness of his lips.  His eyes darken, and his breath hitches as he feels the heat of desire flaring to life between them. 

“I love you, too,” Keith answers, his voice soft.  “Let me show you how much.”

\--

It’s the whisper of Shiro’s birthname that makes his body roll with a deep shudder.  Keith is hovering over him, lips soft against his ear, voice husky.  Keith’s hands are all over him, the heat from them like a brand marking his skin in all the best possible ways. 

Shiro curses under his breath and shifts. He tries to arch away to ease the pressure but there’s no escaping.  He pushes back and Keith halts him with hands gripping at his hips.

“Shhh, Takashi,” Keith murmurs.  There’s a playfulness to his voice Shiro hasn’t heard in years. “Patience yields focus, remember.”

Shiro half laughs and half groans at that, his skin hot and his knees shaking. 

“Starting… starting to regret ever saying that,” he gasps out.  Keith’s hands stroke over his thigh, teasing.

He wants to push back against Keith, to set his own rhythm but Keith’s grip is gently firm.  He tries to go the opposite way, to find friction against the sheet under him and growls in frustration when he can’t find it.

His body is on fire, sweat streaming over his limbs, teeth gritted.  His breathing is choppy but over him Keith is full of softness and long strokes and god, he feels so good inside him Shiro almost wants to cry out at the rightness of it.

“I’ve missed this,” he manages to grit out on a sob. “I’ve missed _you_.”

He feels Keith’s body shift and then his lips are on Shiro’s back, mouthing his way down Shiro’s spine, lingering in certain places.  Shiro can feel what he’s doing, kissing the streaks of raised skin that mar the surface of his back. They are a legacy from those fights in the Galra arena.

Those fights when he held Keith’s face in his memory so hard he knew that when his memories start to fade, that’s when his will to live would too.

He hears Keith’s rough gasp and then his hand is curling around him and Shiro isn’t sure if he wants to growl or weep or swear until he’s got no words left.  At first, Keith’s touch is light and smooth but then his hand starts to match his pace behind Shiro.  The hitched sound of Keith’s breathing almost undoes Shiro as much as Keith palming him and Shiro stiffens, gasping out a ragged “Stop!”

And Keith does. Instantly.

“Shiro?”

Shiro pants, scrambling away from the precipice, trying to halt the fall. He’s not ready, not yet. “I- I need to see your face,” he stammers out around his choppy breaths.  A first he’s not sure if Keith had heard him but then he feels Keith draw away and it leaves him empty and cold in a way that frightens him more than it should.  He feels the loss so keenly that when Keith’s hands are back on him, his body crowding him into the mattress, something like a snuffle tumbles from him.  Keith gently rolls him onto his back and then Keith is hovering back over him until they are forehead to forehead.

“Shiro,” Keith says. His name is but a breath.  “Takashi, look at me.”

Shiro opens eyes he didn’t realise were closed, and then he’s watching the galaxies churn in Keith’s gaze.

“I’ve got you. I’m here. As many times as it takes.”

The softly whispered promise on Keith’s tongue causes a ripple of emotion through every one of his atoms. His expression must have showed it too because Keith wastes no more time leaning over him to kiss him again, one hand propping himself up, the other reaching between them. Keith pauses the kiss and pulls back to look down on him.  His dark hair flops forward and his brows are furrowed. He’s so beautiful like this, the intensity of his concentration as he sighs in a soft voice and says _you feel so good._

Shiro’s gasping again as Keith once again slides home and then he’s shattering into a million stars with Keith not far behind him.


	17. Chapter 17

The bed creaks and Shiro sits up with a gasp, the sheets tangled round his bare legs.  Keith doesn’t hesitate to roll off the bed and out of reach. 

“Shiro,” he says carefully. He tries to keep his voice low and steady, even though he would rather yell and bring Shiro back to him as quickly as possible.  The first time he tried that, he copped a hit that left him reeling and a bruise that Shiro couldn’t stop staring at without a face wracked with guilt.  Coran had eventually thrown him into a pod for a few doboshes to take the worst of the swelling away.

Sometimes…. Sometimes even when Shiro’s eyes are open, it doesn’t mean he is there with him.

“Takashi… baby,” he says when Shiro doesn’t come back to him straight away.  He had expected this might happen, the nightmares were always worse after particularly high stress events.  Guess a wedding can be just as wearing as a battle in some ways.  He hopes that the gentle words he used from their lovemaking the night before register a little easier in Shiro’s mind and it seems to work.

He waits until Shiro blinks and the tension in his body leaks out and he slumps. 

“Worst morning after, ever,” Shiro says then, his voice croaky and almost calm enough to fool Keith into thinking he was okay with waking up to a fully-fledged flashback.

“Do you need some water?” Keith hangs back just far enough out of reach in case the dream hasn’t fully left him and he hates that he has to do that.  Shiro nods.

“Yeah, please.”

By the time Keith comes back from the bathroom holding a small cup, Shiro has untangled himself from the sheets although he’s still naked.  _And beautiful,_ Keith thinks as he hands Shiro the cup.  Shiro gulps down the water in three mouthfuls then discards it.  He opens his arms and Keith wastes no time in diving into them, curling his smaller frame around his bulkier husband.

“I’m okay,” Shiro whispers then.  He folds his arms around Keith’s back and Keith can feel him nuzzling at the skin of his collarbone.  “I’m okay, now I’m with you.”

\--

“Are we really going to pull straws over this?” Lance demands and then Allura rolls her eyes.

“Honestly, if the rest of you are going to fight about it, then simply let me do it!”

“Princess!” Coran exclaims, scandalized.  “You can’t! You’re… you’re the princess!”

“Well, I can do it,” Pidge pipes up then. She frowns at Coran.  “What’s the big deal anyway? I grew up with a brother and now I live with you idiots,” she gestures at Lance and Hunk.

Across from her, Matt’s eyes are bulging and his voice comes out strangled.  “Not the same, Katie, not the same.” 

“Look, one of us has to go in there so… well, what about rock, paper scissors?”

Lance looks at him suspiciously and Hunk shrugs.  “Guess there are worse things to try.”

“Okay, on the count of three-“

They countdown and reveal their hands.  Allura and Coran look perplexed and Hunk groans loudly.

“Why is it always me?”

\--

“Sure Hunk, you made it, you slaved over a hot stove all morning so why don’t you go deliver the stuff too? Not like interrupting the newlyweds is on my top ten list of things to do today. You should expect this anyway, you always get the worst jobs, you should be used to this by now and hey maybe if you’re lucky, they’ll be wearing pants and-“

Hunk takes a deep breath and balances the tray on one arm as he raps against Shiro’s door.  It opens almost immediately, dimly lit beyond the hall, and he turns to shuffle backwards.  He squeezes his eyes shut.

_Please don’t be naked, please don’t be naked, please don’t be naked._

When he opens them with a squint, one eye at a time, Shiro is in front of him.

“Oh,” he says as he straightens.  “Good, you’re wearing pants.”

“Thanks Hunk,” Shiro smiles as he takes the tray from his hands and Hunk swallows down a gasp.  

It’s the first time Hunk has really seen Shiro without a shirt on and he tries not to stare at the space where the Galra tech meets his human flesh.  Even after all this time it looks painful and raw and that’s not even taking into consideration the darker lines that stretch across his skin, long swipes that look like they came from the claws of angry beasts.

And he supposed that’s exactly what the Galra were really. There’s a shift out of the corner of his eye and it’s Keith sitting up.  He’s not looking at Shiro but directly at Hunk and there’s no mistaking the barely noticeable shake of his head in Hunk’s direction.

_Not now.  It’s not the time._

Hunk blinks and turns his gaze to something more innocent, like perhaps the pile of clothes at the foot of their bed.

Uh- his brain almost short circuits trying to backflip away from the symbolism behind that.

If Shiro notices his reaction, he doesn’t show it.

“Guess it’s back to work, huh?” Shiro says as he slides the tray onto a small shelf that flips out from the wall.

“Huh? Oh, ah, well, no.  Not unless you want to.  Allura and the team have things under control if you want to take an extra day.”

“What about Lotor?” Keith asks. 

Hunk shrugs. “No updates there. He’s been scarce since he took a shot at the witch’s witchy canon thing.”

Shiro doesn’t say anything but he takes a cup of Hunk’s Altean coffee blend and carries it over to Keith. The lighting in the room is soft but the rings the two men wear catch the light.  They look good and Hunk is pretty pleased by that.

“Coran has set up the castle’s holo deck for you if you want to take a few hours alone.  It’s not a tropical beach somewhere but it’s the only bit of Altea left and well, I guess it’s kind of an exotic location and Allura figured you wouldn’t want to be too far from the action should anything happen-”

“Thanks, Hunk,” Shiro says warmly. “That… That actually sounds really nice.”

He takes a seat on the edge of the bed and rests his Galra hand on Keith’s thigh.  The movement is comfortable and possessive but it’s the look they share between each other that has Hunk suddenly desperate to hightail it out of there.  "Right, well, we'll be on the bridge if you need us."

They didn't answer and Hunk hurries from the room without a backwards glance.

 

 

\--

Keith found it strange to hold an Altean flower and to know there wasn’t anything really there.  The blue sky overhead was another hologram but it felt so much like Earth it momentarily made him feel displaced. In a weird way it even hurts a little bit- Strange because it’s been a long time since he’s bothered to think of Earth as home.  He leans into Shiro’s chest and Shiro curls around him, his lips brushing his temple.

“I’m sorry this isn’t much of a honeymoon.  With everything going on-“

“I know,” Keith says quickly, “and it’s okay.  I’m just glad we’re able to get this bit of peace before the fighting starts up again.”

“And meeting with Lotor.  It’s going to be difficult to be objective around him.  If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have you right now.”

Keith looks down, a small shudder rolling over him and chased by a wave of guilt. He wonders briefly if it’s going to affect the talks.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Shiro touches Keith’s cheek gently. He uses his Galra hand and it’s a little bit cool against his flushed skin.  “I’m just glad it didn’t come to that.”

“I had to protect you. It was all I could do.”

“Keith,” Shiro sighs, and the hand curves to cup Keith’s face and turns him gently until Keith is forced to meet Shiro’s eyes.  “As long as you understand that that isn’t the way we do things.”

Keith expression turns mulish. Something about the way Shiro says it rubs him the wrong way.  “Is that Shiro our team leader talking or, Shiro-   _my husband_?”

“Baby,” Shiro chides him gently. Their marriage changes a lot of things, but maybe not… maybe not this.  “You have to know that there are things that won’t change.  Sacrificing any of us isn’t the way we’re going to win this fight.”

“You can’t talk, Shiro,” Keith fires back.  Shiro’s hand is still on his cheek but he pulls back far enough out of reach that Shiro drops the contact.  “You want to talk about self-sacrifice? Pidge told me what you did for Matt in the arena. You would have died to save him.”

Even Keith is a little bit surprised at the vehement way those words tumble out of him.  There’s something like betrayal on his tongue – that Shiro would have easily sacrificed himself to save Matt, even knowing that Keith was waiting for him to come home.

It was Shiro’s turn to drag his eyes away.  Keith can see the shutter fall over his face and his lip go tight.  The guilt and the trauma that still dogged every one of his decisions since the moment the empire captured him for their own was written over his face.

“I’m sorry,” Keith says again then, and he means it. He shakes his head and his dark hair bounces.  _I’m a hypocrite_ – but he can’t say the words out loud.

He turns his gaze downwards and picks up the hand that wasn’t entirely human and presses it to the centre of his chest.  There’s more he needs to say, more they need to talk about, but…  not today.  He didn’t want to ruin the mood today.  _Just a little bit longer,_ he begs the universe. _Let us have this a little bit longer._

A heartbeat passes and then Shiro’s lips are sliding over his possessively and Keith hooks his fingers around the back of Shiro’s neck and hauls him closer.  The kiss tastes slightly desperate to him and he hopes that Shiro doesn’t notice. 

The kiss turns soft after a moment, lazy and unhurried and Keith falls so hard into the sensations he forgets anything they were discussing previously.  All he can concentrate on now is the smooth glide of Shiro’s hands working his way under Keith’s black shirt and how much he wants to be possessed by him.

“I’m too young and too good looking to be a widower,” Shiro finally says when they come up for air.

It’s not what Keith expected to hear and he snorts inelegantly.  “That sounds like something Lance would say,” he mutters.

Shiro chuckles and pulls Keith in for another kiss, this one longer and deeper and so impossibly sweet.  They find themselves falling backwards onto the holographic grass. It’s unexpectedly soft and Keith throws a leg over Shiro’s hips. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” Shiro murmurs.  “Not since… not since before.”

Keith folds himself against Shiro.  _Before._   That was all that they called their life before the mission to Kerberos changed everything.  Before Shiro was taken by the Galra. Before the arena, before his escape and desperate flight back to earth. 

“I know,” Keith whispers.  “Sometimes I feel like I’m dreaming, other times… sometimes I’m scared I’m going to lose you a third time. And this time Zarkon knows how much you mean to me.  I might not get you back.”

“Keith,” Shiro’s voice cracks as his fingers scrape against Keith’s skin. He leans his head close and their foreheads touch.  “I will never willingly leave you again. I swear that to you.”

“I know that too,” Keith replies.  “But it’s not you that I’m worried about.”

He opens his mouth to say more, or maybe just to steal another kiss, but a rumbling growl echoes in his head. 

Just Black letting herself be known.

“You know, I thought I would be more disconcerted about a giant metal cat sharing my brain,” Keith says. “But it’s actually kind of nice.”

A wave of warmth briefly curled around him then dissipated.  He looks at Shiro and raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Shiro sighs.  “Turns out Black is a hopeless romantic.  Who knew?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Josh Keaton (shiro's va) for providing the dialogue for this ;))))


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This... this chapter is so indulgent i just- *buries face in hands & squeals*
> 
> also, minor sexy times possibly nsfw?

Wrapping his paladin armour in the red cape Coran had made for him creates an odd mix of emotions he can’t quite appreciate.  Maybe it’s a bit of nostalgia for his early days as one of Voltron’s paladins and being such an integral part of the team, or maybe he just isn’t quite ready for this lovely interlude away from the fighting to be over.

He runs his hands over the deep red feathers one more time before he covers it and places it lovingly it into the storage compartment under their bed.  They don’t have a lot that’s truly theirs on this ship, but this… This is his.

On the bed, his blade suit is already waiting. It’s a dark reminder that their lives will be thrown back into the fight soon but at least this time, he would be facing it without the distraction of trying to swallow back all the things that made him so desperate to fight for in the first place.

There’s a few more heartbeats before he’s aware of Shiro leaning silently against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and watching Keith silently. He doesn’t need to look back over his shoulder at him to know what Shiro is going to say.  He bites back a sigh and climbs to his feet.

“You’re going back to the blades.”

It should be a question but the way Shiro says it is as a peaceful statement of fact.  Keith tries to find any inkling in his tone that might hint that he disapproves but there is none, just a calm acceptance and he’s glad for that. The clock had been ticking down at the back of his mind for hours now and in a way, he was almost relived that it would be time to address the next step in their battle against the Galra empire. 

“Yeah,” he replies.  He doesn’t meet Shiro’s eyes though.  “That’s where I’ll be needed most.”

There’s more he’s sure that Shiro wants to say but Shiro is silent.

Keith takes the hem of his shirt and yanks it over his head, leaving his skin bare as he prepares to don his suit.  It’s a little bit cool in the castleship’s recycled air but there’s suddenly a wall of warmth over his skin as he’s pulled backwards and then Shiro’s hands are sliding over his torso and his lips are nuzzling against his neck.  The touch is so soft and loving it sends a shiver rippling over him.

“Shiro,” he whispers and then Shiro is turning him around and effortlessly lifting him up. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap his legs around Shiro’s waist and tilt his head up in readiness to have Shiro claim his lips.  Shiro doesn’t disappoint and it’s barely a breath later when his lips chase down Keith’s and their mouths are melding and sliding together.

“Let me love you first,” Shiro murmurs, pulling back enough to whisper against his ear. Keith can feel the scratch of the material of Shiro’s vest against his bare skin, the drag of the zipper over his more sensitive areas.  “Before you go, let me love you.”

Keith crushes his lips back against Shiro, a softly uttered “ _anything_ ” is all he can offer. Shiro walks him backwards and then he’s on his back on the sheets.  Shiro’s not smiling as he rears over Keith and Keith can see the intensity in Shiro’s eyes.  He tugs Shiro back down and then Shiro’s moving over him, mouthing his way over Keith’s jaw, down his chest over his hips and nipping at the smooth flesh there.

Keith gasps and tangles his hands in Shiro’s tuft of hair, silvery white strands slipping through his fingers and then they’re both fumbling with the belts and buckles on Keith’s pants.  He knows what Shiro wants and there’s no way to deny him.  Material is roughly shoved away and then Shiro’s mouth is on him and he arches up into the heat. 

“Shiro,” he’s moaning, head tossing from side to side.  There’s not much finesse, the clock ticking down in the back of his mind must have been loud in Shiro’s too and there’s hardly any time before Shiro’s swallowing around him and he’s panting and grabbing the sheets with one hand and stroking the back of Shiro’s head with the other.

He blinks in a daze, trying to catch his breath.  Shiro plants a final soft kiss on his hip and then he’s rising from his knees to gather Keith up in his arms.  Keith is still trying to catch his breath when the comm crackles and Allura’s voice flows over the airwaves.

“Shiro, Keith, I’m sorry but we have a situation here. Shiro, you’re needed on the bridge.”

Well, the timing could have been worse, Keith thinks.  Shiro plants a kiss to the corner of Keith’s mouth, “Duty calls,” then before Keith can gather himself, Shiro has rolled off and is out the door.

Keith shucks the rest of this casual gear and pulls on the suit without wasting any more time.  If Voltron is going to be needed, the blades will need to provide back up and if something that’s going to need stealth… well, that’s going to be Keith’s job.

He arrives onto the bridge barely a few minutes later to hear Allura giving Shiro the run down.  Straggling guests from the castle ship had been attacked by what appeared to be a left-over pack of surviving soldiers from the empire.  Trapped behind coalition lines, they refuse to surrender, instead promising to blow the rebel ships and everyone in it to pieces should they not be guaranteed safe passage back into Galra occupied space.

It was on the tip of Keith’s tongue to jump in but Shiro was already a step ahead of him.  “The blades need to infiltrate and assess, while we’ll form a distraction to get them in undetected.  Keith,” Shiro turns to him, and he’s no longer Keith’s husband, he’s their black paladin, the calm and assured leader that the universe saw.  God, he wore it well, Keith thought.  It was the right decision to leave the team to let Shiro bond again with Black.  Shiro was born for this.

“On it.  I’ll take the fighter, it’s still in the launch bay.”

“No!” Pidge cries out. 

“Yeah, man, don’t take the fighter,” Lance protests. He’s beside Pidge, leaning over her shoulder as he studies the staticky video feed playing out.  “These rebels are panicked.  If they see another Galra ship, they’ll just try to blow you out of the sky!”

“Okay,” Keith mutters in frustration but he gets it. He can already feel the itch of anticipation of the upcoming battle thrumming inside him.  He’s keen to getting moving and he shifts from one foot to another. “Other options?”

“Yes,” Allura says, “There is one….”

\--

The rest of the team quickly say their goodbyes and disperse and then it’s just Keith and himself standing together in the shuttle bay.

Shiro steps forward with a rueful smile and pulls Keith flush against him.  Their hips knock and their hands clutch tightly at each other as they search out a kiss.  Smooth lips sliding against the other, tasting of the Altean version of coffee and something else that is close to honey.  They’ve found their rhythm again and it’s beautiful.  Shiro doesn’t want to let Keith go but he forces himself to step back.

“I love you, be careful,” he says. He wants to say more but the words are too heavy on his tongue.

Keith smiles back at him and it’s indigo bright. “I will.”

There’s a pause and Shiro wants to say something more, something else to put voice to the nervous flutter in his gut.  He was always nervous when Keith was away from him on his own missions but somehow it feels worse now. 

_Come back to me._

He doesn’t like those words. Those are the words Keith whispered to him the last time he saw him on Earth before the shuttle launch and they haunt him.  Shiro didn’t consider himself to be superstitious but in the last few years they had seen and endured so much that couldn’t be explained.  Words… words like that had power.

Keith reaches up, pushing up on his toes and crushes his mouth against him quick and hard.  He steps backwards and out of reach before Shiro can grab a hold of him and Shiro’s relieved.  He doesn’t trust himself not to keep Keith locked up tight in the castle.  That would keep him safe, right?  He reluctantly watches his husband move away.

“I love you so much,” Keith calls out as he walks backwards towards the shuttle, a confident little smirk on his lips.  “I’ll be back before you can say Vol-“ then he grins as his mask shimmers into place and he nimbly vaults into the ship.

There’s a roar of the engines, a flash of light and then he’s gone.

Shiro misses him already.

\--

The alarms were blaring in the cockpit but the other blades had already spun and let themselves be sucked out into the vacuum of space.  Keith grapples with the controls, just a few more ticks to get the aim right and set the auto pilot and then he was spiralling out into open space and listening to the silence ringing in his ears as the ship hurtled itself into the battered Galra cruiser.  There was no sound but he watches as it ignited on impact and dissolved whatever was left of the enemy forces.

Allura’s plan had worked like a charm and no one had to sacrifice themselves to do it.   

Guess he could learn a thing or two from that.

His breathing becomes loud in his ears as he fires his thrusters to spin himself to see the others.  They were hard to see against the black backdrop of space but the purple glow on their suits act like beacons.  Keith listens in on their channel as they called to each other and linked up, only to then be scooped up by Pidge in her green lion.

He feels Black at his back before he sees her.  He spins again and floats in the black as she looms up in front of him.  A familiar voice fills his ears.

“Hey, hotstuff. Need a lift?”

Keith laughs to himself.  The adrenaline was still buzzing in his system.  “Sure do, but I gotta break it to you - I’m married.”

Shiro’s answering chuckle made his skin flush with warmth.  “Hmm,” he says, his voice dropping a few octaves as he spoke.  It vividly reminded Keith of the timbre of his voice in their quiet moments alone. “Must be a lucky guy.”

“I’d say I’m the lucky one,” Keith replies then jets himself towards Black with a spurt of this thrusters.

“Ugh, guys,” Lance’s voice breaks in. “Open comms. For real, no one warned us that we’d have to put up with all this mushy talk-“

“Aw, it’s cute,” Pidge pipes up.

“They’re in looovvveee-“ Hunk adds in a singsong voice.

Keith hits the comm button on his suit just as Black’s cockpit doors open and he’s once again in gravity and striding forward.  The mask dissolves from his face and he pushes down his hood.

“Sorry,” Shiro was saying from his chair.  His cheeks were tinted adorably pink.  “Guess I’ll have to get used to that and remember to use a private channel.”

Keith chuckles and leans over Shiro’s shoulder, trying to gauge if there might be enough space for him on Shiro’s lap now that the fighting was over and they only had to find their way back to the castle.  They could take their time now, right?

“Room for me?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.  Shiro grins and helps him settle onto his lap.  Keith snuggles in.  The blade suits were thinner than the paladin armour, much more flexible and conductive to cuddling. He planned to make the most of it while he could.

Black took them home.

\--

In the darkness, Shiro’s hand drew lazy circles over Keith’s back.  His fingers traced Keith’s muscles and he was quiet and still in the darkness.  Keith didn’t want Shiro to stop, he was tired from their day and the touch was so soothing it would have been easy for him to simply close his eyes and go to sleep.  But something was nudging the back of his mind, keeping him awake and setting some of his nerves on edge.  Another brush against his consciousness and he realises it’s Black. 

Keith pushes himself up then, turning over and resting his head on his palm as he gazed into his husband’s eyes.

 _Husband._ Wow. That would take getting used to.  It still thrilled him.

“What is it?” he asks softly.  Shiro looks vaguely surprised at his question so he clarifies.  “Black seems concerned.”

Shiro’s eyebrows rise higher. “Wait, you can still feel her?”

Keith shrugs. “Sometimes.  It’s really faint, and sometimes I’m not sure if it’s really her but... yeah.  Sometimes I can still feel her. Only ever in relation to you though.”

“What do you mean?” Shiro shifts then, pushing an arm behind his head and staring into the ceiling.  Uh, Black was on the money.  Something is definitely bothering him.

“What are you thinking about right now?”

Shiro doesn’t look at him.  He moves closer to press himself against Shiro’s side.  This time it’s his turn to trail his fingers over Shiro’s skin. Keith tries to be patient, to wait until Shiro is ready to talk.  He lasts longer than he expects.

“I love you so much,” Shiro finally says. He’s so quiet that Keith almost has to strain to hear what he’s saying.  “I’ve never been as happy as I have been in the past few days.  If it meant I had to endure another year in Zarkon’s arena to have this, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.  But sometimes… Sometimes I think about the things I had to do. I don’t remember much, I don’t want to. But I know I’m no innocent and sometimes I think I don’t deserve this...  I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve everything,” Keith answers.  It comes out harsher than he expects and even Shiro is a little surprised.  Keith tries to push himself closer, as though there’s a way he can crawl into Shiro’s skin and push all the horrible memories from his mind.  

He maybe not be able to do much about the nightmares, but there’s other ways to show Shiro how he feels.  He drops a soft kiss to Shiro’s shoulder.

“Let me love you,” Keith whispers, repeating back Shiro’s words from earlier in the day.  Shiro shudders and his eyes drift close. 

“Yes,” he breathes.

So Keith does.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Shiro hadn’t expected to be so lucky as to wake with Keith’s breath warm against his back and his husband’s slim hand splayed across the muscles of his stomach so soon but somehow the universe has conspired to keep them together for a little bit longer. 

He lies there in the silence, listening to the distant hum of the castleship’s systems until he becomes aware of Keith slowly coming awake.  The smaller man shifts enough so that Shiro can roll onto his back, lifting his heavy arm above his head and resting it against the pillows.  It’s not the most comfortable thing to sleep with, it’s so much more solid than human flesh but that was something that always seemed to bother Shiro more than it ever did Keith.

Not much about the changes marring the surface of Shiro’s skin seemed to bother Keith that much.  He looked past it easily and saw Shiro for who he really was on the inside. Shiro considered himself incredibly lucky for that.

“Mmm, why are you looking at me like that,” Keith blinks at him.  As though sensing that both biorhythms were awake, the room lightens automatically from near darkness to a dim golden light.

“Just… happy to have you here,” Shiro answers.  He combs a finger lovingly through Keith’s messy hair, brushing it away so he could see his eyes.  Those beautiful indigo eyes that hinted at Keith’s alien heritage. It had been one of the first things he noticed about him all those years ago when they’d met. He hadn’t been the only one. Strange how much attention a shade of eye colour like Keith’s could bring on a planet like Earth, it made sense he let his hair grow long to hide it.

Keith gives him a soft jab in the side that makes him grunt.  “Oomph, what was that for,” he laughs.

“Staring again,” Keith mutters then drops his face to Shiro’s side and tries to burrow closer.  It hits one of the few places on Shiro’s body that’s ticklish and it has Shiro chuckling and edging away.

“I can’t help it, you’re too pretty all sleepy in the mornings,” he teases right before he reaches for Keith and rolls, pinning him under him against the sheets.  He plants a kiss behind Keith’s ear, and he feels it send a shiver right through Keith’s body.

“Pretty?” Keith groans but then he’s arching back as Shiro’s mouth travels over his neck and collarbone and down lower again.  Shiro hears the cadence of his breathing change and his mouth travels lower still. 

“Did I say pretty?” Shiro murmurs between kisses as he journeys downwards along Keith’s lean body. His husband is all muscle and hidden strength.  And hot, so hot the heat radiating off him like his own personal space heater. “I actually meant beautiful.”

Keith huffs a small laugh and Shiro feels his fingers running over his head. Keith doesn’t give him any warning before his fingers tighten against his scalp and he’s shoving Shiro’s head lower towards his groin.  Shiro grins and finds a patch of bare skin to nip. Keith groans. 

“And demanding,” he finally adds and then he’s scooping Keith up in his mouth and he can’t say much more at all.

\--

Later, it’s an uncomfortable silence that has everyone holding their breath.

“What?” Keith hisses out.  His voice is like a snarl and Shiro winces at the rough sound. 

“This mission is too deep into the empire territory to risk the mate of a paladin of Voltron,” Kolivan says.  There’s no maliciousness to his tone, it’s just flat and matter of fact.  Somehow that seems to make Keith angrier.

“You said so yourself that the blades are stretched thin, even more so now after we took back Naxzela, I should be going-”

“Not this mission. There is too much of a risk.”

“I’ll be careful-“

“I will not put any more of our operatives in jeopardy!”

Keith flinches and the rest of the team assembled on the bridge glance at each other with visible unease.  Shiro feels almost helpless.  Kolivan and Keith are staring each other down, Kolivan on the large holoscreen and Keith standing his ground at the base. The air is rife with tension and it feels like the same argument they've had numerous times before.

It shouldn’t be like this, it shouldn’t be this hard.

If Shiro steps it in, it might just make things worse.  Keith’s relationship with the blades isn’t something he fully understands, but he knows intuitively that Keith wouldn’t want Kolivan to sense any weakness by having Shiro try to undermine him.

But in this instance…  Hell, he agreed with Kolivan. But as a husband, or leader, he couldn’t be sure.  He didn’t expect it to become this muddled.  He tries to think through the plan, step by step from beginning to end, to replay out the possible scenarios in his head but his mind is fuzzy.  A small ache nibbles at his temple and the discomfort creates a veil he can’t quite seem to penetrate. It makes him want to clench his fists in frustration.  Strategy was always something he could see clearly, each route that could be taken, what the consequences could be – and he’d always been good at choosing the best moves for the team but… but lately, he’d made more mistakes than he should.

Naxzela was still a sticking point in the back of his mind. He didn’t listen to Lance and it had almost cost them everything they’d had.  He finds himself staring hopelessly at the map, eyes tracing the gentle pulse of the glow that denotes each planet, each quadrant and the supply ships shuffling around.

He doesn’t notice how the silence has become pointed until Allura steps up beside him and murmurs his name discreetly. “Shiro?”

He blinks and tears his eyes away from the map.  The team is all waiting for him to make a decision, to step in.  Keith seems to be quietly seething and Shiro sucks in a deep breath.  He knows Keith is going to be pissed at him for this but he sends up a prayer to whatever gods are listening that his husband will at least have the foresight to have it out with him in the privacy of their room rather than here in front of the team.

“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, Keith, but perhaps we should take Kolivan’s recommendation onboard.  He… he does have a point.”

Shiro braces himself for the stare of betrayal that he expects to come from Keith and he’s almost confused when it doesn’t eventuate.  Instead, Keith is watching him with a calculating expression that sets an alarm bell ringing dimly at the back of his head. 

“Noted,” Keith bites out and then he shifts away.

Even Lance looks surprised by that but before he can comment, Pidge points at another section of the map, this one heavy with spots of purple and blue and out on the fringes of the current quadrant.

“What about the rebels here? This is Matt’s outpost.  They could use help,” she offers.  Keith barely flicks his gaze at her.

“Then I’ll go there.” The way he says it is cutting and final. 

\--

Keith is standing in the observation deck, arms crossed against his chest and clearly not paying much attention to the multitude of stars shining outside the viewport.  He’s staring down, hyper focused on something he’s not really seeing.  It reminds Shiro uncomfortably of that time before they’d even known who the Blade of Marmora or Kolivan really was.  He hopes that Keith wouldn’t be as closed off with him now given the changes of the last few months. He doesn’t want Keith to shut him out again.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly as he approaches.  He hates that he feels a flutter of nerves in his gut.  This is his husband, there shouldn’t be this yawning chasm threatening to open up between them.  For the briefest of moments, Shiro entertains the notion that their marriage was a mistake, that it would split them more than Zarkon ever could and break them from the inside.

Before the thought could fully formulate, Keith looks up and his arms fall away and he’s opening up physically and emotionally and Shiro tries to swallow back the flip flop of emotion in his chest.

“Yeah,” Keith says and then he reaches one hand out to Shiro to twine their fingers together.  He tugs gently and pulls Shiro in close and Shiro almost wants to cry in relief that he wasn’t being shut out, that Keith wasn’t pushing him away.

“I just…” Keith shrugs. “I guess I didn’t anticipate this…  I found my home in you but my purpose…” Keith trails off and sighs, lowering his head against Shiro’s chest.  He sounds tired, maybe a little sad. “I don’t know where I fit anymore.  And I can’t just… sit back and do nothing-“

“I’m sorry,” Shiro says honestly, his chest hurting at the guilt.  The proposal, the wedding, it had all been such a spur of the moment thing, even though it was something he’d quietly dreamed about for years.  Maybe they should have waited, maybe Shiro should have kept his love tied up in that little box a while longer until Zarkon was nothing but stardust.

But then Keith’s letting out something that’s half a laugh, half a sob and he’s pressing himself against Shiro and digging the fingers of his free hand around the base of Shiro’s neck and dragging him down until he’s planting a hard kiss against Shiro’s mouth.

Shiro’s doubts flutter once more and then they’re forgotten under the heat of Keith’s body against him.

“I wouldn’t change a thing. You know that, right?” Keith finally says when they pull apart for air. He seemed to know where Shiro’s thoughts had wandered.  “I would marry you again and again.  I can’t help but to be selfish in this.”

The word sticks in Shiro’s mind as Keith pulls him into another kiss.

 _Selfish_. God, is that what he is?

He thinks about the headaches, the niggling concerns that maybe… maybe he’s really not fit to be leading Voltron after all.  He’s been in Galra captivity twice now… maybe they’ve messed with more than just his body. But Keith doesn’t want it, he doesn’t believe his purpose is to lead Voltron and Shiro won’t force him.

Where does that leave them?

Keith pulls back and smiles up at him and it’s beautiful. He’s so beautiful Shiro doesn’t trust himself to speak.  He thinks of persistent, dull headaches that beat behind his eyes as the days wear on, the nightmares, the subtle way his decisions seem to be slightly off and he almost opens his mouth to tell Keith his fears, to beg him not to go with the blades or the rebels but to stay here on the castleship with him but the blossoming change in Keith since they made their promises to each other is palpable.

So, he doesn’t, and he kisses Keith once more instead.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically their wedding photo by hyteri: http://hyteriart.tumblr.com/post/167772153826/sheith-wedding-as-suggested-on-twitter-along-with that started all this *heart eyes*

Pidge hands over a small piece of kit.  A screen activates at Keith’s touch and illuminates his face in a pale glow.

“It’s encrypted,” Pidge is saying. “It will only respond to you and whatever code you choose to use. That way… that way it keeps you safe.  Keeps us safe.”

The image makes the breath hitch in Keith’s throat.  It’s one from their wedding day, Shiro holding Keith’s hand, the shimmer of his ring on display… and Shiro looking down at him with so much love and adoration in his gaze.  Keith’s is the same and for a moment it makes him stop and wonder if this is how the rest of the team saw them. Did they see them looking at each other like this while trying to hide it… No wonder any of them seemed surprised when Shiro finally proposed. 

Pidge instructs him to flip, and there is another image of the team.  It’s a couple of their ridiculous promo photos from the Voltron show and it makes Keith laugh out loud.

“This is great, Pidge. Thank you,” but then he frowns and tilts the screen sideways. “Although I could probably have done without the one of Lance doing the splits hanging off Red’s nose.”

“Hey!”

There’s laughter and the warmth inside Keith blooms brighter.  These moments together in the castleship’s galley have become one of his favourite times with the team.  So much better than goodbyes and sweeter than hellos.  It’s just… it’s home.  Maybe he should stop trying so hard to run away from it but there’s always that little voice in the back of his mind whispering _menacingly don’t get used to it._

He shakes the thought away as Pidge helps him set up the special code. He’s pleased that he’ll have this to take with him, to keep close to him no matter if he’s with the rebels or the blades.  Especially their wedding photo.  He could quite easily stare at that for hours.

Hunk finally breaks out the cookies and Keith snatches one up without hesitation.  “Be careful, they’re- oh.”

“What?” Keith pauses mid chew.  The cookie in his mouth is sweet and slightly chewy. It reminds him a lot of chocolate chip but he has no idea how Hunk would have been able to find chocolate all the way out in this part of the galaxy.

“Um, hot?” Hunk says.  Lance reaches past him to snatch a cookie of his own and yelps when his fingers make contact with them.  He glares at Keith. 

“Is that some freaky Galra thing?” he demands.  He shakes his hand and makes a dramatic flourish of blowing on his fingers.  There’s been so many things that made more sense since his galra heritage had been revealed – unusual strength for his lean size, running at a higher temperature and an abnormally high pain threshold amongst them.

Keith grins smugly at him, a mouth full of cookie. “Yup.”

Lance groans and stares longingly at the cookies, waiting for them to cool as Shiro finds them.

“Something smells good,” he says as strides into the room and slides onto the stool beside Keith and Pidge.  She takes the kit and shoves it over to Shiro to show him what she’d created.  Shiro’s eyes widen as he looks down at the photo. “I don’t remember anyone taking this? It’s…. it’s really something else.”

“We look good,” Keith smirks at him and then Shiro chuckles in agreement.  The warm buzz in Keith’s chest wants to go supernova.

“Oh, hey, Shiro you reminded me-“ Lance shoves a half eaten cookie into his mouth and starts to  rummage around in the pockets of his jacket.  He pulls out an assortment of odd looking items but it’s the collection of small plush dolls that look suspiciously like miniature paladins all in their respective colours that catches Keith’s eye.  Unsurprisingly, the blue ones far outnumber the others.

“What are those?” Keith asks, studying them with some amusement.  They were pretty cute if he admitted to himself, there was even a red one as well as the pink and for some reason that made his heart pang a little in his chest.

Shiro reaches out to pick up a small black paladin plush and smirks a little.  Before Keith realises what he’s about to do, Shiro is leaning forward and tucking the little doll into the top of Keith’s black t-shirt.

“Here,” Shiro says with a grin.  “Right over your heart, this is where I belong, okay?”

Even Keith has to laugh at everyone groaning at Shiro’s utter cheese as the plush doll brushes against his skin.  Nobody would believe it but Keith has zero intention of parting with this tiny version of his husband.

“Really?” Lance scratches his head then and stares at Shiro.  “Really? Because I would have thought that you’d belong in his pa-“

“LANCE!”

\--

With Shiro piloting Black, Keith opts to stay with the blades for a while longer once the rebels no longer needed him.  The small missions that the blade took were often hard and fast and they tended to suit his skills perfectly. They’d found a middle ground with Kolivan and although the partnership was still uneasy, Keith felt good to be out there fighting again.  To have a purpose.

The worst part is having to leave Shiro and the castle of lions for such long stretches of time.

He misses his husband… _husband_.  Sometimes he still has to roll that would around in his mouth, taste it and shape it and admire the way it just seems to fit.  It surprised him how much more at peace he is now that he and Shiro had exchanged their vows, as though the constantly shifting ground of their previous relationship had finally settled into the solid ground it had always promised to be.  It had been so exhausting to tip toe around their feelings for each other, never being able to say what they really wanted, trying to hide it all from the others.  And marriage hadn’t changed much… not really.  It simply solidified the bond between them and Keith liked to think they were both better for it.

He taps the terminal in his small bunk on the rebel base and waits until the holo screen appears.  He dials in, waiting for the connection to establish between himself and Shiro.  He doesn’t have to wait long.

“Hey,” Shiro’s eyes are soft as they gaze into the screen. “I miss you.”

Keith’s heart clenches a little at the heartfelt confession. He smiles and raises his hand to rest it against his chest as though he can rub away the small ache. “Miss you too.  So much.  I can’t wait until this mission is over and I can come home.”

Shiro nods, his lips twist up in a small smile.  “Me too.  I’ve been reading some of the reports.  You’re all making huge impacts out there.”

Despite how long it had been, Keith felt a little flush of pride. There would always be that part of him that wanted nothing more but to make Shiro proud.  “Kolivan has eased up too.”

Shiro’s smile slips at that and he frowns. Nothing particularly unusual when it comes to any mention of Kolivan.  “What do you mean?”

“Less…” Keith waves his hand vaguely. He has to stifle a sudden yawn when a wave of tiredness comes over him.  He wishes Shiro was beside him now instead of halfway across the galaxy. He would have loved to fall asleep to the feel of Shiro’s hands in his hair. “Less, victory or death.  A lot less death.”

“I’m… I’m glad to hear that.”

Keith has to smile at the worried expression in Shiro’s eyes, even as his husband tried so hard to hide it.  “Don’t worry, I’m keeping safe.  No more heroics for me.”

Shiro chuckles then and Keith can hear the weariness in his tone too.  A comfortable silence reaches out between them and Keith takes the time to soak in Shiro’s face, committing it to memory to keep him company later that night. It looks like Shiro is doing the same, his expression going slightly intense. It seems out of place considering the softness he had when Keith first picked up the call.

“Shiro? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

Shiro blinks and then he turns away from the camera but when he looks back, he’s rubbing his temple and smiling ruefully.  “Sorry, just tired. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”

Keith gets the vague sense that Shiro isn’t telling him the whole truth but he chooses to believe there’s nothing sinister in his motives.  It’s late after long days for both of them and it’s probably not the best time to get into subjects that might prove to be volatile.

Speaking of volatile- “And Lotor?”

Shiro shakes his head. “No progress, not yet.”

Keith huffs and leans back against the wall along one side of his bunk.  His bones feel heavy and he can feel sleep clawing at him to drag him under but at the same time he doesn’t want to end the call. Not yet.

“Get some sleep, baby,” Shiro’s voice floats out to him after a moment.  He hadn’t realised his eyes were drifting closed.  He mumbles something back and then sleep claims him.


	21. Chapter 21

They’ve been married for just over a month when Lance finds Keith alone on the bridge, the bright holo map activated and bathing the room in its familiar blue tinted glow.  Keith’s eyebrows are furrowed and he holds a thumb to his lips, deep in thought.

Lance doesn’t say anything, he simply makes his way to Keith’s side, stalking determinedly like a cheetah hunting its prey.   Then he stops, places his hands on his slim hips and glares. 

Keith does his best to ignore him.

“You’re different,” Lance states after a few long beats. He shifts his stance but he’s still watching Keith through narrowed eyes, his lips pursed into a thin line.  Keith barely registers what Lance says, his mind on other things, although he does briefly hope this isn’t going to be another ‘part-galra’ thing. He’d thought they were past that.

After a moment, Keith waves a hand to change the location of the map to display a different quadrant.  Rivers of blue wash over them. Lance lean imperceptibly closer, encroaching on Keith’s personal space in an attempt to drag his attention away from the map.  Keith twitches in annoyance before finally turning to face the other paladin and frowning in annoyance.

“Can I help you with something?”

“You’re different,” Lance says again, this time with even more conviction.  He straightens up and Keith thought he might actually try to fist bump in the air.  Or… something.  Truth be told, Keith feels too tired to deal with this right now but he decides to humour Lance anyway.  It was easier to just go along for the ride with Lance than try to fight it sometimes.

“Different, how?” Keith finally asks, knowing the glint of triumph in Lance’s eye was going to bite him in the ass.  No turning back now.

“Since you’ve been married, you’ve changed.”

“Well, yeah…” Keith trails off. 

Of course, he’s changed.  He hadn’t expected things to change as dramatically as they had once he and Shiro had finally owned up to their feelings to one another and cemented their relationship, but they had.  He just hadn’t expected it to be so obvious on the outside.  He’d thought that he and Shiro had done a half decent job at keeping their relationship as private as possible… if you chose to ignore the mishap with the comms a while back.  Not only did Keith not want to make a scene, Keith just preferred to kiss Shiro without the soundtrack of Hunk and Lance pretending to gag in the background.

“Nope.  No.  You’ve changed.  You’ve definitely changed.”

Keith wants to sigh but he bites it back in the effort of trying to stay relatively polite.  “I’m not disagreeing with you…” he mutters before turning back to the map.

“See! That’s what I mean. The old Keith would never pass up the opportunity to argue with me.”

Keith blinks in surprise.  Whatever he had been expecting Lance to say, that totally wasn’t it.

“Um…”

“Um? That’s all you have to say?” Lance demands.  “Um?”

Keith throws up his hands then.  “What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to pick a fight with you? We can go down to the training deck and I can kick your ass if it would make you feel better.”

Lance responds by poking him in the chest. Hard. Under any other circumstance, that would piss him off but he was too bemused by this sudden wild and apparently disgruntled Lance that had appeared.  That wants to fight him.  Maybe.  What is Lance even on about?

“You’re not so… so…” Lance flounders for a word, pausing for a moment as though searching his hyperactive mind for just the right term.  “Angry!”

“Angry?” Keith repeats.  “What?”

Before Lance can answer, a third voice joins the conversation - apparently out of nowhere.

“He’s right, you know.”

Lance screams.

“Calm down,” Keith snaps in irritation. “It’s just Pidge.”

“I KNOW IT’S PIDGE I JUST WASN’T EXPECTING HER TO BE THERE.”

Pidge is sitting crossed legged at her terminal. Her short stature makes her hard to see over the top of her chair.  She leans over the side, looking back at them and pushing up her glasses when they slip slightly on her face.

“Lance is right though.  You’re a lot more….” Pidge trails off and Lance jumps in.

“Nice? Friendly? Less.. kill kill kill?”

Pidge frowns at Lance.  “I was going to say grounded.”

“Oh,” Lance runs his gaze appraisingly over Keith, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Yeah. Yeah, that works.”

Keith supposes they are right.  He is a lot less angry these days.  It helps not having the pressure of trying to keep his feelings under wraps 24/7.  It helps knowing that wherever he was, Shiro is somewhere waiting for him.  And it helps knowing that Shiro wasn’t going to leave him – not of his own free will anyway.

Although Zarkon’s will is a different story all together.

Keith feels himself nodding. “Yeah, I guess so.  I’m…. happy.”

He’s just as startled as Lance to hear that come out of his mouth but before he can try to figure out a way to backtrack his confession, he realises he doesn’t want to. Because he is.  He’s happy. 

And deep down, it terrifies him.

“Aw, man,” Lance sniffs once, then he slides a little closer.  Keith catches wind of his intent and knows that Lance is a heartbeat away from throwing his arms around Keith so he quickly steps out of his orbit.  He might have let down his guard with Shiro and be drowning in physical contact, but that didn’t mean he was suddenly a hugger.

The bridge chose then to slide open doors open and Shiro steps through.  He takes one look at the dreamy expression on Lance’s face, the way Pidge is hanging over the back of her seat, and at Keith staring up at the holo map and frowns.

“Keith, what did you do to him this time?” Shiro’s tone was resigned but they all caught the undercurrent of teasing under it.

“Me?” Keith shrugs. “I didn’t do anything. Technically it’s your fault.”

That brings Shiro up short. “Say what now?”

Lance drags himself away from Keith’s side, much to Keith’s relief and grabs Shiro’s hand before pulling him into a quick hug.  Only Shiro doesn’t really move so it’s more Lance just stumbling into Shiro’s chest with a sniff.  Then he’s gone, disappearing through the doors Shiro had just arrived through.

There’s an empty moment of silence where Shiro looks at Keith.  Keith looks at Shiro… then shrugs with his hands up to the universe.  _I don’t even know,_ he’s thinking.

“I guess he’s just really, really happy for you guys,” Pidge says with a little smile and turns back around in her seat.  Once she sinks down to continue working on whatever new project she was developing, she’s back out of sight.  Shiro makes his way to Keith’s side, standing close enough that Keith can feel the heat of him and their knuckles bush against each other.

“Looking for your next mission?” Shiro asks quietly.  He folds his arms and stares up at the map.  The planets reflect in his eyes and his shoulders hold a tension that only Keith notices.

Even just the way he is standing is telling to Keith.  Shiro would never try to stop Keith from working alongside the blades, but Keith knew he missed him while he was away, and he worried about him.  He never really said as much but years together helps Keith read between the lines. The folded arms told Keith Shiro was resigned to hearing bad news.

“I’m in no hurry to leave,” Keith murmurs.  He makes a point of turning his back to the map and running his soft gaze over Shiro.  His husband unfolds his arms, dropping them heavily to his sides.  It’s obvious to Keith that Shiro wants to touch him and he watches as Shiro’s eyes flicker to where Pidge is at her terminal.  She can’t see them, and Pidge wouldn’t care if Keith leans up on his toes to brush his lips over Shiro’s but he didn’t want to flaunt it either.  It was important to Shiro to maintain a semblance of professionalism. 

Well, as much as they could with how much of a family unit they had become.  He is still their leader.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m tired.  I think I’ll catch an early one.” Keith says it slightly louder than he needs to considering how close Shiro is standing.  He’s rewarded by a spark of laughter in Shiro’s eyes and it makes his heart leap in his chest.  _He_ did that.  _He_ made Shiro want to smile and laugh. Shiro, who’d been through so much… He loved Keith enough to let himself relax enough to LAUGH.

“Yeah,” Shiro answers slowly.  His hand brushes against Keith’s and a smile flirts over his lips.  “Yeah, I’m tired too.  Let’s get some rest.”

They turn to head towards their quarters as a loud snort comes from the other side of the room. Keith can’t fight it any longer and his shoulders start to shake in silent laughter.

“Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery!” Shiro calls out, then he grins and Keith’s laughter tumbles out.

They were ridiculous but he doesn’t care.  For the first time in his life, he is living life true to himself, and to Shiro. 

Lance was right.  He has changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH so this is where I'm wrapping this one up for now because it was originally meant to be just fluff and silliness and feels but I keep getting tugged into a darker direction so I will be saving that for a sequel. I'm currently working on the 'prequel' too which will hopefully feed into why these boys took the plunge as quickly as they did... and the sequel will be either centered around Operation Kuron speculation or whatever might happen in Season 5 (or both!) so please stay tuned if you've enjoyed this so far!
> 
> And to everyone who took the time to read, give kudos and (especially!!) comment - THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. Waking up each morning and getting such lovely feedback was the shot in the arm to keep going and not give up on this, and going through a kinda crappy time in my personal life, dabbling in this writing caper has kept me sane and has given me something to look forward to and get excited about. So... Yeah, thank you to everyone who stuck with me on this, it really means so much!
> 
> As always, I would love to hear from you so please comment or come talk to me on tumblr (flashedarrow.tumblr.com)


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